Getting away for Christmas
by melina-emanuela
Summary: Bones wants to spend Christmas with Booth and Angela has a good idea how they should spend their time together. Parker, BB, fluff, rating changed to a T to be on the safe side.
1. Chapter 1

**Not mine. But I guess you already figured that one out on your own....**

Brennan's office, 12.22.08:

"Booth would you…..you know you don't have to, if you don't want…..you can just tell me….but would you maybe….."

"What is it, Bones? I can only answer if you actually ask me a whole question."

"WouldyouconsiderspendingChristmaswithme?"

"Sorry Bones I didn't really get that one."

"I wanted to know if you would consider spending Christmas with me? Of course, you don't have to. It was a stupid idea. Forget I even said anything. I just thought that you might not want to spend Christmas with your family…..but maybe you have Parker? Or you want to do something else….I understand that…..it's okay…."

While Brennan was rambling on, Booth could no longer keep a straight face. It was rather cute, to see the always composed Dr. Temperance Brennan rambling and nervous.

_She wants to spend Christmas with me…_

"Bones I would love to spend Christmas with you!"

"Really? Because you don't have to….I can just read a book or continue with my own book…."

"Really, Bones. I would love to spend Christmas with you."

"But?"

"No buts, Temperance. What do you want to do for Christmas?"

_Oh, he called me Temperance again…I guess he really means it then._

"I don't really know yet. I will think about it. Are you bringing Parker?"

"I have to talk to Rebecca about that. I don't know what her plans for Christmas this year are."

"Okay, I guess I'll call you if I know more about the victim?"

"Yeah sure. I'll be at the bureau, still have a mountain of paperwork to fill out before Christmas. See you later Bones."

But Brennan was already deep in her thoughts, but not about bones but about Christmas with her partner and his son. She was happy to spend Christmas with Booth this year, but she was also a little afraid that this could bring them even closer to cross _the line_.

_I don't know what to do anymore. I want to cross this stupid line. I wanted it from the first moment on. But I know that we can't do it. Booth isn't interested in me in that way. I'm not even close to his type. Maybe I should dye my hair? He seems to like blonde-haired women. I never changed myself because of a man. Why should I start now? Because it is Booth and you are in love with your partner!_

That's how Angela found her half an hour later. Still deep in thought, and with a strange look on her face.

"Sweetie? What's wrong? Did something happen? Is Booth okay?"

"Huh? Booth is fine Ange. Nothing to worry about, really. I'm just thinking about something."

"Booth?"

"How do you know?"

"You have this look, Bren. I can just read it from your face, that you were thinking about Booth just now. What did he do?"

"Nothing….it was me who did something…."

"Oh my god! You guys kissed!"

"No Ange we didn't"

_I wish we had though…_

"But you want it to happen, right?"

_How can she do that? She can't possibly know what I've been thinking about now, can she?_

"Sweetie I know you. I can see it, when you're not happy. And right now you look like you're really sad. What happened, Bren?"

"I asked him to spend Christmas together, Ange."

"And he said no?"

"No he said yes, but now I don't know what we should do on Christmas. I don't know if I did the right thing. Maybe I should have just spent it alone at home. Or I could have travelled around again. I always did that on Christmas before…."

"Before Booth came into your life, Bren. He changed you. He made you live your life a little more. That's a good thing, Sweetie. And I think I know what you could do. Just give me an hour or two and I'll organize everything, okay?"

"Okay Ange….but…"

"Don't worry nothing strange or something you wouldn't like."

"Maybe he can get Parker too, Ange. We need to do something he would like too."

"Don't worry, I will take care of everything."

The Jeffersonian, 12.22.08:

Ange already had a plan formed in her head. Now she only needed some help from Hodgins, Cam, Sweets and most importantly Rebecca.

_I can't wait to see their faces. They will be so happy. Now I only have to get Hodgy, Cam and Sweets to help me. And I need to talk to Rebecca soon. She just has to help me, the whole plan depends on her reaction. I will have to __make her see my point._

Her first stop was Hodgins' workstation on the platform. Although they weren't together anymore, they still could talk quiet normally and she really hoped that he would help her with her plan.

After only 5 minutes, she made her way to Cam's office to talk to her.

_Hodgins was easy. He wants them to be happy too. I only hope Cam is on my side too. She needs to make sure, that Bren can have some vacation time around Christmas and new years._

After a short talk with Cam, Ange was sure that nothing could ruin her plan anymore. Cam was all too happy to make sure that the plan would work. Apparently, she wanted them together too. Now she only had to convince Sweets before she could go talk to Rebecca.

But Sweets wasn't in his office and his secretary had no idea where she could find him.

_I can't wait for him to be back.__ I need to talk to Rebecca soon. Maybe I could just ask Cullen myself? He likes me and if I tell him that I only want them to strengthen their partnership, he might even help me._

FBI building, 12.22.08:

"Deputy Director Cullen."

"Miss Montenegro, what can I do for you?"

"I need some help, Director. It's about Booth and Brennan. I really think they should have some alone time to strengthen their partnership. And I think Christmas would be perfect. A lot happened in this last year. Max Keenan's trial, Booth's fake death, Zach's betrayal, the case in London. They really need to spend some time together."

"How can I help you with that, Miss Montenegro?"

"I can organize a week in Vermont for them. I just need you to give Booth vacation time around Christmas and New Years. I will take care of everything else"

"I don't know….maybe they should finally become more than 'just partners'? Don't you think it's time for them to finally get together?"

He had to chuckle slightly at the sight of Angela's face. Here she was trying to find a way to make Cullen allow them to spend Christmas together without telling him about her real plan to get them together and he wants them together too.

"Don't look so surprised Angela. Why do you think they still have to see Sweets? It's not about their partnership anymore. It's about finally making them realize that there is a lot more between them then just that. Of course I'll take care of Booth's vacation time. If you need any more help just give me a call."

"Err sure. Will do. Thank you…..and merry Chrsitmas."

"Merry Christmas"

_3 down, only 1 to go. I hope she won't ruin my plan. Maybe I should just go and visit her instead of calling. She might not listen to me on the phone. Good that, I was in the car once, when Booth had to take Parker home._

House of Rebecca Stinson, 12.22.08:

"Okay here we are….it can't be that hard to talk to her, right? I just want her to let Parker spend Christmas with his Dad and Bren. No big deal…I can do that"

_Wow now I've started talking to myself…not a good sign._

After ringing the doorbell, Angela stood in front of the door waiting anxiously for Rebecca to open. But instead of Rebecca Parker opened the door. For a moment Ange had no idea what to say, she hadn't prepared for Parker opening the door, but she composed herself and remembered that he's only 7. Not really a threat for her, right?

"Hey Parker is your Mom home?"

"Miss Angela. Hi. She is inside, you wanna come in?"

"Sure if it's okay. I have to talk to her for a while."

"Parker! I told you not to open the door on your own. Oh hi you work with Dr. Brennan, right? Did something happen?"

"No. Everything is alright. No need to worry, I just wanted to talk to you about something."

"Sure come on in. Do you want something to drink?"

"No thank you. Maybe we could talk in private?"

"Parker don't you have homework to do?"

As Parker went to his room to start his homework, Rebecca led Ange to the living room to talk.

"What do you want to talk about? Seeley isn't hurt or anything, right? Nothing happened to him?"

"No he is fine. But it is about him and Bren. They had to go through a lot this last year and I thought it would be nice for them to spend some time together. You know talk about everything, a little partner bounding time, if you know what I mean…"

"You want them to get together?"

_Why do they all know what I really want to do. Am I that obvious?_

"Yes I do. They are meant to be together. Everybody can see that. I just want them to be happy, and hoped you would maybe help me with that."

"How could I possibly help you with that? I don't even know Dr. Brennan. All I know about her is what's written on the back of her books and what Parker told me about 'their Bones'."

"I can organize for them to go to Vermont over Christmas and New Years, but Booth wouldn't be happy if he can't see Parker on Christmas. So I thought that maybe you would allow them to take Parker with them?"

"Christmas and New Years?"

"I know that it is a long time and that you want to spend Christmas with your son too. And I really wouldn't be asking, if I didn't think it would be very important for them. Maybe you could celebrate on Christmas Eve?"

"I don't know….it's a long time….but I guess Parker would love it….he is always happy when he gets to spend more time with his dad. And he really likes Dr. Brennan."

"You could have some alone time with your boyfriend. Maybe travel around a little yourself…"

"Okay I'll ask Parker. PARKER! Could you come here for a moment?"

"What is it mommy? I was doing my homework, I swear."

"I know Parker, I just wanted to ask you something. What would you say about going to Vermont with your Dad and Dr. Brennan for Christmas? We could celebrate on Christmas Eve and then the three of you would drive to Vermont together."

"I get to spend Christmas with Daddy and Bones? Cool!"

"So you want to go?" Angela asked with a huge smile on her face.

"Yes. Very much. I want to spend Christmas with Dad and Bones."

"Okay I'll go and arrange everything. Thanks Rebecca, I'll let you know about the details soon."

"No problem, Angela. He seems to be very happy and Seeley and Dr. Brennan deserve to be happy too."

AN: I would love to get some reviews, but I won't put any pressure on you....I will post the second chapter whether you review or not. But a review might make me improve my writing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Still not mine....**

The Jeffersonian, 12.22.08:

"Hey Bones! Any results?"

"Err….I…..what do you mean?"

"The body, Bones. Any results about the bones, so far?"

"It was an accident, Booth. The trauma to the head was caused by the impact, when he hit his head on the stairs. The time of dead was around February two years ago. Everything was frozen back then, he fell and hit his head and no one found him until now. Ange should have an identity for him soon. She is running his picture through the database right now."

Right then Ange came running to the platform, but not from her office but from the parking garage entrance.

"I have an identity, Booth. Just give me a minute to print it out for you. Okay? I'll be right back."

And she run of in the direction of her office.

"Where was she?"

"I have no idea, but she looked happy. Maybe some late Christmas shopping? She loves shopping."

Before Booth could answer, Angela was back with a print out in her right hand and a huge grin on her face.

"I want you two to be at the diner for dinner tonight. 8 o'clock I'll be waiting. We're exchanging presents today. And I don't want to hear anything about work, you still have to do Bren."

Brennan who had just opened her mouth closed it again with an angry expression. Of course she wanted to spend time with Angela and the rest of the team but she _had_ work to do. Especially if she couldn't work over Christmas this year.

"No need to dress up, Jeans will do, Sweetie. And I won't take 'no' for an answer. You are responsible, to make sure she is there, Booth! I have a surprise for you two. So you better be there on time."

And with that Angela turned on her heel and was gone faster than you could look.

"What was that about? And what surprise is she talking about? Do you know what she is talking about, Bones?"

"No….I have no idea, Booth…..I guess we'll have to wait for tonight."

"Okay I'm picking you up at 7.45 Bones. Be ready, we don't want to be late."

The diner, 12.22.08:

"Okay so we have to make sure, that he can't see you before he is sitting there with Bren, okay? We want to surprise him. Maybe it would be best if you would just wait with Jack over there. You can come out when I give you a sign."

"Okay Miss Angela. Come one Dr. Jack we don't want Daddy to see me."

As Hodgins and Parker went a little farther into the diner, so Booth wouldn't see them right away, Angela went through the plan a last time.

"We wait till they sit and make sure, that they can't just get up and go again. They might first say that they can't go but secretly they want to. We all know that they are in love with each other, and we will make them realize it too. Sooner or later. I think I just saw his SUV. Everyone ready? Okay then let's do it."

Booth and Bones entered the diner and Booth immediately knew that something wasn't right. He couldn't put his finger on it, but his gut told him that something would happen soon. Unconsciously he moved a little bit closer to Brennan. With a hand at the small of her back he let her to the table where Ange, Cam and Sweets were already waiting.

A few minutes later Booth found himself sitting between Bones and Cam, without any chance to escape anytime soon and he knew that Ange must have something planed for them.

_Maybe it is about the surprise she was talking about earlier. I only hope it isn't something all too strange. You never know with Angela._

Just as he was thinking about the possibilities Ange made some kind of sign to the back of the diner and he saw his son running up to him with Jack close behind.

"Parker. What are you doing here?"

"It's a surprise daddy. I'm not allowed to tell you just yet. Miss Angie told me not to. She said we had to eat first."

He was crawling over Angela and Sweets to sit next to Brennan as he talked. Booth couldn't take his eyes of off them. His two favorite people in the world sitting next to each other. And Parker seemed to want to sit next to her. He couldn't believe his luck.

_But it's not really perfect yet. I want to see them like that every day. I want to wake up next to her and go to sleep lying next to her every night. I want to be able to hold her whenever I want to. But I shouldn't be thinking about that. She's my partner, there is a line we can't cross and she isn't even interested in me__…_

Parker was now climbing on Brennan's lap to say hello to her.

"Hi Bones!"

"Hi Parker. What are you doing here?"

"It's a surprise for Daddy and You. I can't tell you."

"I would say we order, so that we can find out about this surprise soon. What do you think buddy?" Booth was anxious to know what this surprise was now. Parker was here as a surprise for both, him and Bones? What has Angela planned now?

After they ate, with Parker sitting between Booth and Brennan, Ange finally told Parker that he could tell them about their surprise now.

As Parker rambled on about the trip to Vermont and about how cool it would be. Ange was delighted with the looks the partners gave each other. Of course, they tried to appear nonchalant about it, but they were both happy to spend a whole week together in a house in Vermont.

_A whole week with Parker and Bones… That has to be the best Christmas ever. I can't remember anything better happening the last 37 times.__ How can I ever thank Ange for this perfect present. But…_

"Don't even think about it Booth. The present is from all of us. The house belongs to Hodgins and no one would have been there anyway. Cam and Cullen made sure that you both have vacation time till January 3rd, and I already talked to Rebecca. All you have to do is pack your things, drive to Vermont and enjoy a week of family time."

_Family time? Did she just say family time? How can she say that, Booth will know that I am in love with him. She can't say that as if we are already a family. Already Temperance? So you plan to be a family soon?...Shut up brain…just once…I can't concentrate like that…why is Angela's voice inside my head? Can't she let me alone for a moment?_

"Bones? Are you okay?"

"Huh? Sorry, I was just thinking about something. What did you say?"

"Can we talk outside for a moment? Please?"

Outside of the diner, 12.22.08:

"What is it, Temperance? If you don't want to spend a whole week with Parker and me you can just tell me"

"That's not it, Booth. I want to spend time with you and Parker. But don't you think it is a little strange? Angela just made it sound as if we were a family. But we are just partners. There is the line we can't cross and I think…"

"What do you think, Bones?"

"We get closer to crossing it with every day, Booth. Don't you think if we spend a whole week away from work we won't be able to stay on different sides of the line anymore?"

"Maybe it's time to cross the line now. We have both realized that we come closer and closer to crossing it anyway. And I think I have wanted to cross this stupid line for quite a while now. We are already so much more than just partner, we are best friends. I know so much about you, and you know more about me than anybody else ever had – or ever will know."

"I'm scared, Booth."

"I know Temperance. I am scared too. Remember when I told you, that 'everything happens eventually'? We just take it slow. See what happens, but without having to worry about the line anymore, okay? You don't have to worry about changing what we already have. I'm your partner and I intend not to change that anytime soon. We will just be a little more open for other aspects of our relationship. If nothing's ever gonna happen it's okay too."

"You really think that we could make it work? What if we destroy what we already have?"

"I won't let that happen. You have to trust me, with that. We can still be partners and friends. I promise."

"Okay. I trust you Booth. More than anyone else."

"Hug?"

"What happened to calling it a 'guy' hug?"

"I no longer need to call them guy hugs, if you already know that they aren't anyway, right?"

And with that said he opened his arms for her to move into. He could feel her body press closer then ever before. He could feel her breasts close to his chest and her arms sneaking around his back under his jacket. He had to smile has he heard her inhale deeply. So she loved his smell as much as he loved hers. He couldn't keep his nose from burying in her hair and sniffing her unique smell.

She knew that she shouldn't press herself against him like that but she just couldn't help it. She needed to feel his body close to hers. He made her feel safe and his smell was just like heaven had to be. She could feel him smelling her hair and had to smile a little bit. So he loved her smell too.

"Bones?"

"Hmmm?"

"We should probably stop hugging now, Ange is looking at us through the window for 5 minutes now and she is grinning like the cat that got the canary. And if you keep pressing yourself against me like that, I have to wait outside for a few minutes before I can go back in."

"I don't know….oh….okay I get it….sorry."

"Nothing to feel sorry about. I would love to do that again soon. Just not, with the whole squint squad and my son looking at us, okay?"

"You want to do it again?"

"Hell yes Bones. And not just once. Don't you?"

"No. I mean yes. I want to do it again. More then once."

"Let's go back inside. They are waiting for us."

He gave her the charm smile he had reserved just for her and let her go. But only for a millisecond then he had her hand secured in his. She gave him a strange look but didn't try to get her hand back.

They made their way back into the diner hand in hand and with happy smiles on their faces.

AN: Thanks for the reviews, they really made me happy. I hope you liked that chapter too and maybe you could leave another comment? And if someone sees something that's spelled wrong or bad grammar just tell me, I'm always trying to improve my english.


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: Thanks for all the review, they really make me happy. About the won't-want-problem.....unfortunately that happens to me all the time. I really am sorry and trying to get it under control soon. I know it is already more than 1 week after Christmas and I hope you all still want to read a Christmas-story. I will try to post at least once a week from now on, most likely on the weekends._

Brennan's apartment, 12.23.08:

The change in her relationship with her partner was something Temperance Brennan hadn't anticipated. Although she had known about her feelings for Booth for a while now, she never thought he could be feeling something similar and even act on those feelings.

What made it all even worse was that they haven't had the time to talk about it yet. The day before they had had to go back in and with the whole squint squad and Parker present it just wasn't the right time to talk about what all of that meant. Now lying wide awake in her warm and cozy bed at 5am she thought that maybe she could try to apply some logic to their situation. But she just couldn't. Nothing had prepared her for the moment she would realize that she feels more for Booth than friendship, but she was able to deal with it. Now as she had to face the fact that Booth returned her feelings, whatever they might be called, she was more nervous than ever.

Somehow, it had made her feel safe to believe that Booth would never feel anything more for her. After all, it had allowed her to live in denial about her own feelings without having to feel bad. But she just couldn't lie to Booth, if he would just storm into her apartment and ask her about her feelings for him, she could no longer deny them. Of course, it wasn't very logical for Booth to do such a thing, but with Booth you never knew.

_Maybe it would be good to actually talk about it. But normally I would call Booth to discuss feelings I can't interpret on my own, and that's not a good idea given that this feelings are about him. Angela! I have to talk to her, she will know what to do and how to act around him._

Apartment of Angela Montenegro, 12.23.08:

"Whoever it is, this is better damn important or I might have to kill you…"

"Ange? Why would you want to kill me?"

"Bren? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Sure. It's exactly 5:35am. Why are you…oh…I didn't realize that it is still so early…I'll just call you later than…"

"No it's okay. Now that I'm already up you can as well tell me why you called me this early. Did something happen? Any dead bodies turned up during the last 5 hours?"

"No. It's nothing like that. I just need to talk to you. I think I need some advice. It's about a man…and feelings…and obviously I can't call Booth about it…I know that you are good with people and feelings and this stuff…I just don't know what to do anymore, Ange."

"What do you think about an early breakfast? I'll come over with some food and you can make us some coffee, okay?"

"That sounds good, Ange."

"Okay I'll be right there. 20 minutes. See you soon."

Angela Montenegro groaned as she heaved her tired body out of bed to get ready to visit one of her best friends. She wondered what could have happened in her friend's life that would make her call her at this time, and she couldn't talk about it with Booth.

_Why did she say that she __could obviously not talk to Booth about it? Did she finally realize that he is jealous of every man in her life?_

Deciding that she would get to know about Brennan's reasons soon enough, she started getting ready for the day ahead of her. She knew that this conversation might take them more than a few minutes and decided to dress for work, because she was sure she wouldn't find the time to go home to change later. 5 minutes later, she was out her door with her make-up in a cute little bag she once bought in Mexico. She really didn't have the time to apply make-up now.

Brennan's apartment, 12.23.08:

Exactly 22 minutes after hanging the phone up, Brennan heard a knock at her door. She was already waiting impatiently for Angela's arrival and opened the door after only a few seconds. As soon as the artist took a look at her friend, she knew that something must be really wrong.

Brennan looked like she hadn't slept at all the last night and had dark circles under each dull looking eye. The way she was running around her kitchen to find cups and sugar and milk made it clear that she was very nervous about something and that this thing was really bothering her.

"Sweetie? What happened? Just tell me what's wrong and maybe we can find a way to make it better."

"It's about Booth. I have feelings for him and yesterday in front of the diner he told me that he has feelings for me as well. Feelings, that go behind partners and friends. And I have no idea how to act around him now. We are going away for a whole week and I don't know what to do anymore. How can we possibly go on a vacation now?"

"First you have to cool down a little. It's not getting better if you keep running around your kitchen like that. Just sit down for a moment and tell me the whole story."

And that's exactly what she did the next 35 minutes. She told Angela everything. From first realizing that she has indeed feelings for her partner after his fake death to admitting how strong these feelings really are after he told her about his abusive father and the childhood he had to endure. To finally concluding that Booth must have feelings for her as well, as they talked about crossing the line and taking things slow and the _little problem_ he would have had if she hugged him any longer. She even told her about the sniffing each other's smell and how safe she had felt in this moment.

"It felt like nothing could hurt me, Ange. I never felt safer than in his arms and I have no idea why I am feeling that way."

Angela Montenegro, with her trained artist eyes, had long ago seen that there is more between the partners than what they admitted to themselves. She knew that they would make a perfect couple from the first time she heard them bicker about the smallest things only to laugh about something only seconds later. They just had this spark and everyone seemed to be able to see it except these two. Now that she could see that there was finally some movement, she could barely hold in the squeal that was trying to break free.

_They realized it. They finally can see what we all have known all along. Maybe they can get together after all now. _

Although Angela was happy about the new development, she also knew, that finally admitting their feelings was indeed something good, but there was still a long way ahead of Brennan and Booth to being together. She would never have guessed that they would just talk about it with each other in the first place, but at least that had made her task, to get them together, a little easier. They now knew that their feelings were mutual, that they were both equally in love with the other. All she had to do now was organize the trip and make them realize that loving each other and being together would be something good….

_That can't be to hard…When they spend a whole week together and see each other every minute they will have to see the obvious…Now I just have to keep her from freaking out…and him probably too…If it is about 'his Bones' he is no longer the devastatingly handsome FBI-Agent who isn't afraid of anything, but just like any other man._

"Bren. Listen to me. I know that this is all a little too much for you right now. But I bet Booth isn't feeling much better. You already have a partnership and a friendship and you are afraid that that could be destroyed, if it won't work out between you guys. Nevertheless, I think that you have to try, you have to risk something every once in a while to get something even better. Because of the friendship, you already know so much about each other and you fell in love although you know about the other's faults and mistakes in life. You have to have some trust in this friendship."

"That's what Booth said too, that I have to trust him. And I do, I trust him more than anybody else, but he can't guarantee that everything will be alright, no one can."

"There aren't any guarantees in life, Sweetie. Something unexpected could happen every day, but that's making life all the more interesting. You never know what the future will bring for you, but you can try to steer life in the direction you want to go. Just give yourself a chance for happiness."

Apartment of Seeley Booth, 12.23.08:

While his partner hadn't slept at all Seeley Booth was still sleeping peacefully and having a rather nice dream of said partner. He had thought about the upcoming changes last night and now he was sure that their friendship would be strong enough to get them through everything. Of course, he was still afraid that something could go wrong, but he also knew, that he wanted nothing more than being together with Temperance Brennan. Maybe even for the rest of his life, if she would let him.

Therefore, while his Bones was freaked out he was dreaming about finally being allowed to kiss her and hold her whenever he wanted and he couldn't get enough of that. Just as his dream self was about to get her out of the cute red shirt, he liked so much, a little bundle jumped right onto his bed to get him to wake up.

"Daddy! Wake up! It's time for breakfast and mom said she would pick me up _really _early. And now you have to get out of bed, dad."

Booth groaned as he tried to turn away from his little son to continue to dream about the shirt and the skin he would reveal underneath, but the unrelenting 7 year old was apparently not interested in his pleasure at all. With a last slightly sad sigh, Booth turned around to talk to his son.

"Hey Buddy. Don't you think it is still a little early to get up? You don't even have to go to school today and it's only 6:30am. We could still get some shut eye."

"Nooo dad. I am up now, I want to have breakfast, and mom is coming to pick me up at 7:15am. So we have to get ready now."

Admitting to himself that the nice picture was probably lost anyway, Booth got out of bed and wandered in the direction of his kitchen with his a little too active son hot on his heels. He could still think about her while preparing breakfast. Actually, he was quite good at thinking about her whatever he did.

During breakfast, they started planning what to do while on vacation with Bones. At some point, they would have to make sure to make her go ice-skating with them. They both loved it and it would be a nice afternoon activity for all of them. Of course, Booth already knew that she would also need some time alone and so he decided to bring Parker's sledge just to make sure, that they could do something outside if she needed time to think. And he was sure, that she would try to get at least some of her work done. If it wasn't any paperwork, she would write on her book. That's just who she is and he fell in love with this person and didn't intend on changing anything about her. As long as she would still spent time with them and not worn herself out, she could work on her book or paperwork.

As soon as Rebecca came to pick Parker up, he thanked her again for letting him come with them and they talked a little about when to pick him up for the trip again. Rebecca would make a little trip of her own, visiting her new boyfriend's parents for the first time. They already knew about her son, but maybe it would make it a little easier to first get to know them alone.

Packing his things wasn't really complicated for Booth anymore. He had done it numerous times for all kind of cases and he could do it still half asleep anytime. Nevertheless, he stood in front of his closet and couldn't decide what to pack. He wanted to take things she would like and if he was honest with himself, he wanted to impress her a little bit too.

_Maybe I should pack my old 'Foreigner'-shirt. She will have to think about Hot Blooded and all the fun we have. And it kinda shows of my biceps too…_

In the end, he decided to better bring some things more and choose what to wear when they were there.

_Another AN: I was thinking about posting smaller chapters more often or chapters around this lenght once a week. It would be nice, to tell me your opinion on this topic in a review. Thank you for reading and I hope you all have a happy new year!_


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I am really sorry that you had to wait so long for the next chapter. To make it up to you, I'll post another long one, before I'll start with the shorter chapters. I hope, you still like the story. Here we go....**

Apartment of Temperance Brennan, 12.23.08:

After a long talk with Angela, the anthropologist was finally able to think clearly again. She knew that trying to have a relationship with Booth could ruin what they already had, but she also knew that she had to try it to be happy in the end. Booth had told her that they could take it slow and that's exactly what she wanted to do. He would never intentionally hurt her, but it was hard for her to really open up to other people. She would need some time to let him all the way in, behind her walls as Angela would call it. But they were already so close to each other that she wasn't too afraid anymore, after her conversation with Ange anyhow.

She was musing about what could happen on their trip and what she wanted to happen, while Angela was rummaging through her closet to find the perfect clothes for her to take with her. Packing for her, seemed to be something Angela really enjoyed doing and she could never bring herself to tell her friend no. Most of the time she thought about everything and even packed things she could actually wear without a problem.

But today deciding what to pack seemed to be a very hard task. More than once, she already had sighed in frustration. Mostly, about the lack of 'something really hot' or 'something Booth would drool over' in her closet. After the first irritation, Brennan now liked the idea of making Booth drool. She wanted to arouse him after all. Maybe not on the first days, but she was planning to test her abilities in this area on this trip.

_But we can't go too far. Parker is there too after all and I don't want to rush. Angela said that we should take it slow and Booth thinks that too. They are both good with feelings and people and I trust their opinion. And it isn't about 'biological urges' with Booth._

"….and then we need to add another garter belt to the things to buy…maybe in pink, Cullen likes the color…and you could dance in nothing but your underwear on his desk…

Are you even listening at all?"

"Huh? Sure. If you think so, it sounds like a good idea."

"You haven't heard a single word I've said, have you?"

"I'm sorry, Angela. What was the question?"

"I just wanted to know, if you want me to decide which underwear you bring too or if you would prefer to do that on your own."

"I can do that alone, thanks for your help, Ange. And for talking some sense into me again. I really needed that."

"You're welcome, Sweetie. I only want you to be happy. You can call me whenever you need me. Okay? Even, if it is in the middle of the night. Just don't run away from him."

The Jeffersonian, 12.23.08:

"Bones! Hey Bones! Where is she?"

"Hi Booth. You don't have to yell I'm right behind you."

"Hi Bones. I need your signature on some paperwork, I have to finish before we go away. Do you have a minute?"

"Sure. Let's go to my office."

They tried to act as if nothing was going on, but of course, Jack and Cam who were working on the platform too, immediately knew that something was different about them this afternoon. They had already asked Brennan why they didn't have lunch together like usual, but she just told them that they had still lot's of work to do before they could get away for Christmas.

"I tell you, Jack, something is going on with these two. They act a little strange, don't you think?"

"As if they have some secret, they don't want us to know about…it's some kind of governmental conspiracy and they are both involved in it…"

"Or they are just finally together…but Angela would have told us, about that…"

"Maybe she doesn't know it yet. We have to go and ask her, if she knows anything at all."

Brennan's office, 12.23.08:

"I think we need to talk, Bones."

"What about the paperwork. Shouldn't we finish that first?"

"We can't avoid talking about what happened in front of the diner. And I don't want to avoid anything anymore. I want to be able to talk to you about everything."

"I don't want to avoid it either, Booth. I know that we have to talk and I _want_ to talk. Nonetheless we have to finish this paperwork and I think it is easier to concentrate now then after we had the talk."

"Okay. First the paperwork it is…workaholic…"

"I heard that, Booth."

She was giving him a small smile to show, that she didn't care. She knew that he was just making fun of her and that she was indeed a workaholic.

They went to her couch and sat down next to each other. A little closer than usual, but someone who did not know what happened last night would never have been able to see it. The look they gave each other would have given them away anyway, but no one was there to witness it.

While Temperance was reading her way through page after page of boring paperwork, her partner was lazily stroking small circles on the small of her back. His place. The place where he put his hand, whenever they were walking somewhere. The place that was right now tingling under his touch. It was getting harder and harder for the anthropologist to concentrate on the task at hand and not just give in to his gentle caress. She wasn't used to being touched like that anymore. Most men only touched her if they wanted to have sex with her. And it never felt like that. Booth's touch was different, she knew that he wanted to touch her, but not in the way other men had did it. He just wanted to be close to her. Nothing more, nothing less and it made her happy to know that it wasn't about any urges for him as well.

After she was finished with all the paperwork, she leaned back on the couch, trapping his arm behind her back. It was nice to feel him close without the fear of accidently admitting any feelings for him and she planned to enjoy that feeling for a few more minutes. Booth was pulling her a little closer and she happily obliged and let her head come to rest on his broad shoulder.

"That is nice."

"I dreamed about you tonight. About being able to hold you like that, to tell you the truth. I think we should do it more often. But you look exhausted. Couldn't sleep tonight?"

"Hmmm. No, not really. I…I had to think about some things."

"Me? Or us? You could have just called me, to talk about things. You know that you can tell me anything, right? Whatever it is that is keeping you from sleeping peacefully at night, we can talk about it."

"I know that now. Angela told me that too. I called _her_ in the early morning. We talked for a while and we started packing my clothes. So you don't have to worry anymore. I am coming with you."

_How can she do that? She isn't even good with reading people, but with me she always knows what I am thinking. She knows so much about me already, and she is still by my side and now she even considers having a relationship with me. I am a lucky man right now._

"I would love to remain sitting here for the next few hours, but I still have some things to take care of today. I'll pick you up tomorrow at 6pm. At home. Don't even think about working the whole day. We can drive to Rebecca to get Parker and then we're on the road. We should be there before it get's too late.

"I'll be ready. But I can't promise you anything about not working. I still have some things to do as well. There is this body from limbo and I wanted to take another look at the skeleton of the latest case…"

"You are unbelievable, Bones. I hope you know that. I have to go now."

They both stood up and after some nervous looks, Booth hugged her for a moment, whispered 'I'll miss you' in her ear and went out of the door, before she could fully comprehend what happened.

Only seconds later, Angela walked into her office, with a huge smile on her face.

"That was soooo cute, Sweetie. And now pack up your things, we still have some shopping to do."

"But…"

"No buts, Bren. You promised me that we could go shopping today and now we go. Get your things."

Shopping Mall, 12.23.08:

"Angela, I really don't need anymore clothes. We already packed anyway. And I am NOT wearing that!"

"Why not? I can guarantee you that it will make him really hot."

"I can't run around wearing something like that. We have Parker with us and I don't wear anything this revealing around a 7 year old."

"So you would consider wearing it just for Booth? You know, that Parker will have his own bedroom, right? You could just wear it when the two of you are alone…"

Angela was trying to get her best friend to buy a very revealing dark red bra and panty set, that 'Booth would love'. She had even found a matching garter belt and 'cute stockings' to go with it. But of course, Temperance wasn't interested in these things at all. She loved to wear nice and sexy things for a man, she cared about, but never before had she cared so much about a man and she wasn't planning on just having sex with him. She wanted it all, holding hands, kissing, being together and _making love._ Booth had only told her about that so far but she intended to try it some day. Maybe not right now, it was still too early to even say if they would be together in the end, but she knew that the only man she wanted to have this feeling of being one with was her partner.

"Ange, of course I would want to wear sexy lingerie for him. But don't you think it is a little early for that? We haven't even kissed yet. I don't want to, what do you call it….hix it?"

"Jinx, Sweetie. I guess I understand your point. When the day is there, when you want to buy anything for him, just give me a call and we can go shopping again."

Two hours later, Angela was still running around and trying to get her friend to buy various articles. So far they got a new 'hot but not too revealing' set of pajamas for her and a science kit as a Christmas present for Parker.

"What about Booth's present, Bren? Do you have that already? What is it?"

"We decided to just get each other something small. No big presents, or expensive things. I got him a flashy tie with lot's of skeletons on it and another one with something written on it…"

"That's a nice idea. The skeletons will remind him of you, every time he wears the tie. And what is written on the second one?"

Brennan whispered something so quiet that Angela didn't understand it.

"What was that, Bren? Is it something embarrassing?"

"It says 'taken' in big red letters on a black tie. Happy now?"  
This time Ange couldn't hold back her squeal of delight. She never thought Bren would even think about buying something like that, if she insisted and now she had gotten it all on her own. Booth was already having a good influence on her life.

"Angela! Stop screaming! People are looking at us!"

"That's just about the best thing you ever did, Bren. I bet he will be very happy about that present."

"You think so? I wasn't sure, maybe he does not like it…"

"Trust me, Bren, he will love his gift."

**AN2: I would love to get some reviews. Tell me if you liked it, or hated it, or whatever else you thought while reading it. Oh and someone thought that I had to be a mother....nope I just turned 20 and so far there are no kids running around the house....**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: This is the first shorter chapter. I hope you'll still like it.**

On the road, 12.24.08:

The drive to Vermont was uneventful. Most of the time, Parker was talking. About the presents, he already got from his Mom and her boyfriend, school and his latest science projects and about the perfect time, they would spend together.

Booth was happy, that his son and his partner seemed to get along quite well. They liked each other and some times during the talk about the science projects Temperance even had acted maternal.

_I really can't wait to spend a whole week with my two favorite people. I only hope she won't freak out on me__. I just want her to be as happy as I am._

Brennan on the other hand was a little nervous to spend a whole week with the 'Booth-boys', how Angela liked to call them. But Parker seemed to like her and kept telling her about everything he did in the few days since she last saw him. She could see Booth suppressing a smile as they talked about Parker's science projects in school.

He looked really happy and she just had to watch his handsome face for a few seconds. She reveled in the fact, that she could finally watch him more openly without the fear of being caught. He already knew about her feelings anyway.

The smirk on his face told her, that he had realized that she was watching him but she didn't really care.

Parker finally fell asleep a few minutes before, exhausted from a long and exciting day and too much talking. Booth used this opportunity to do some staring of his own.

"Booth. Stop staring at me. Keep your eyes on the road or you're gonna get us killed in a car crash."

"Hey it's not my fault that you are so beautiful…I can't help it, I just have to watch your face."

Instead of the blush, Booth had expected she just smiled at him and told him that he would have a whole week to stare as long as he liked, if he got them to the house safely.

Booth was dumbfounded and had no idea how to answer that, so he kept quiet and made sure to keep his eyes on the road the next five minutes.

Temperance had other ideas though. She wanted to be closer to him, like she in fact had wanted many times before, and so she put her hand on his shoulder first to gauge his reaction.

A sharp intake of breath later, her hand was covered with his slightly larger one and he pulled their combined hands down to rest on the middle console of his SUV. Slowly he brought his fingers in between her own phalanges and they were finally holding hands.

Really holding hands for the first time ever and it felt wonderful and exciting and terrifying at the same time.

Both were still unsure what the future might have in store for them, but they knew deep inside that they good solve whatever problems may arise. And with Cullen and Cam already out of the way there weren't even so many problems to come anymore, but of course they didn't know that so far.

The house in Vermont, 24.12.08:

The house they would spend the next week in, looked fantastic. It was built in a small clearing in the middle of the forest and appeared to be rather large for a weekend mansion. But of course Hodgins' family was very rich end to them it looked probably small.

As the three of them, Parker woke only minutes before they'd reached their destination, went in for the first time to take a look around they were welcomed by the nice smell of fresh air and a little letter pinned to the living room door.

"_I hope everything is done to your satisfaction. The fridge is stocked with everything Angela told me to buy, every room was cleaned and I made sure to let some air in, before I went home again. There are some logs next to the fireplace and the rest is on the backsi__de of the house. If you need anything else just give me a call. Glenda"_

"Looks like Angela really thought about every little thing. Now let's get going to take a look at the other rooms."

As soon as Booth had said that, Parker was off to explore the house. Within minutes, he was back and had already decided which bedroom he wanted for himself.

"Daddy can I have the blue bedroom? Please? It looks really, really cool and it is the best room in the house."

"Sure Parker if you want to. Bones and I still can choose between the green and the red salon then."

"How can you possibly know the colors of the other rooms already? You haven't even seen anything else than the front door so far. It's just not logical of you to assume you could know…"

"I don't know the color of the rooms, Bones. I just guessed, because they used to have red, green and blue rooms in the homes of rich people. They always mention them in old movies."

"Oh…"

"Come on. We were going to take a look at the rest of the house and that's exactly what we're doing now."

He lightly nudged her forwards and after only a few steps, his hand made the natural travel to her lower back. He couldn't help it, it was the place where his hand belonged. And now that they finally admitted that something more could be going on between them, he could let his hand rest there even more freely.

Booth had been right the other two bedrooms were red and green colored and had the little extra of an adjoining door.

_Nice. Maybe I can use this door some time this week. Sneak in to take a look at her sleeping form or maybe I will even be allowed to sleep in her bed next to her. But I shouldn't get ahead of us, so far we didn't even kiss._

While Booth was still lost in his daydream, Parker and Bones went ahead, to look at the other rooms. Next to the bedrooms were two bathrooms, on the other side of the house, with a great view over the clearing and some part of the forest, lay the kitchen, next to it the living room with the huge fireplace and the Christmas tree, Angela had organized for them as well.

Right next to the tree was a huge box with decorations and another letter.

"_I hope you'll have fun decorating the tree and you will have a merry Christmas!"_

**AN2: If you could leave me a _review_ now, you would make me really happy. I hope it isn't too OOC, if it is please tell me.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Soooo it is sunday and therefore you'll get another chapter tonight. Once again nothing is mine, it all belongs to Hart Hanson and Dr. Kathy Reichs. I hope you like it.**

When Booth was finally with them again, after sneaking out to get the entire luggage into the house, he saw his loved ones already halfway done with decorating the tree.

_For someone who thinks she isn't good with people and seems to think that she would be even worse with children, Temperance seems to have no problems dealing with Parker._

Booth decided to let them do the rest too and headed of in the direction of the kitchen to make them a snack before they would head to bed soon. The driving had them all exhausted and although he didn't want to lose a single moment of their time together, he figured that it would be best to catch some sleep.

Soon after they finished eating the sandwiches Booth had prepared for them, Parker fell asleep with his head in Brennan's lap. Temperance looked a little flabbergasted for a moment, but she started to stroke his blond curls nonetheless. He was a cute boy and she could see so many similarities between father and son.

The sparkling brown eyes and the devastatingly handsome smiles were only the things you could see from the outside. Having spent a lot of time with them today, she realized that they had a lot more in common. They were both charming, with a big heart and always looking out for her well-being.

_He raises him to be a gentleman too. And I have started to like some of the things he does for me. I know now that he does it to make sure I am __okay and not to show of his alpha-male-personality._

While Brennan was absentmindedly caressing Parker and musing about her favorite alpha male, Booth went to prepare Parker's bed and get him some pajamas. As he came back to the living room, he saw that Parker wasn't sleeping anymore and seemed to enjoy the caress from Temperance instead.

_They look so perfect together. I have to take a picture of this moment._

Grabbing his cell phone, he took a couple of pictures and, after a moments thought send them to Angela too. After all, she was the one who made this possible.

One hour later Parker was finally in bed, the presents were under the tree and the cookies for Santa gone. They both knew that it was time to go to bed now, but no one wanted to be the one to say so.

Standing motionless in front of their bedroom doors, they looked each other deep into the eyes, trying to see all the emotions in the depths of their souls. After long minutes, Booth made a step closer to her and took her in his arms. The feeling of being this close woke the desire to be more than just a partner, in the Agent. But he wanted to give her all the time she needed to adjust to the newly discovered feelings between them.

Holding her close to his body and letting his hands wander up and down her back, he whispered "Good night, Bones" in her ear, before he let go of her, turned around and entered his own room, leaving her confused about her own feelings and slightly aroused.

25.12.2008:

The next morning, Parker was up just after dawn and came running into his dad's bedroom.

"Daddy! Daddy! Wake up, it's Christmas! We have to go see if Santa was here!"

Booth knew that he had a snowball's chance in hell to get Parker to stay with him for a few more minutes, so he told him to go to the adjoining door of their rooms and knock to wake Temperance up.

While Parker was happily bouncing off in the direction of the door, Booth got out of his bad and pulled some sweats over his boxers. Parker was no longer knocking but had started to yell through the door to get Brennan's attention. As he didn't get an answer after a few minutes of knocking and yelling, Booth decided that they could just peak in for a second to make sure, she was still there.

They carefully opened the door and peaked into the still mostly dark room. Temperance was lying in her bed, her hair spilled around her head like a halo and her left leg, clad in only a small shorts, was on top of the tangled sheets. Booth had to fight down the gasp that threatened to escape at her sight. She was always a very beautiful woman, but right now she was the most gorgeous thing he ever laid eyes on.

Apparently, Parker had the same taste in women's looks as his dad for he was as awed as Booth at the sight of 'their Bones'.

"Wow Dad. She really is beautiful, isn't she Dad?"

Booth wasn't able to answer his son, because he was too busy staring at the expanse of skin, visible on top of the covers.

Parker, remembering what Angela told him about giving them some alone time, mumbled something about cold feet and his wool socks and left the room. Booth barely realized the departure of his son. He was still watching her bare skin and thinking about the possibility to touch her.

Realizing, that he could never touch her like that without her permission, he decided to finally try to wake her. After all that's what he came for in the first place.

Temperance had no idea she was being watched, as she slept peacefully, having one of her best dreams about her partner so far. They were both lying in a cozy and soft bed and Booth's arms were wrapped around her waist, making her feel warm, comfortable and the most secure she ever felt since she was 15 years old and her parents were still with her. She could feel the heat emanating from his body and the steady heartbeat under her left ear was slowly lulling her to sleep. But instead of falling asleep, she felt like she was about to wake up.

_This is strange…_

She tried to fight her nagging consciousness, but the more she fought the closer she came to wakefulness. Booth's arms around her disappeared and she couldn't hear his heart anymore, instead she could feel someone stroking her hair and she heard Booth's voice telling her to wake up.

Figuring that real-life-Booth would be even better than dream-Booth, she stopped fighting and slowly opened her eyes.

Her room was still mostly dark but she could see Booth's face close to her own.

_He looks even better with his slight stubble and that he isn't wearing any shirt is just making it better still. I could look at him for hours…_

A few minutes later Parker decided that he'd given them enough alone time for now. After all, it was Christmas day and he wanted to open his presents now.

As he opened the door to Bones' bedroom, Bones was still in bed but with her eyes open and looking at his dad, who was sitting on the right side of her bed and was stroking through her hair with his left hand.

_Angela is right, they look so much happier when they are together. Maybe this is one of the moments, she told me to take pics?_

With his camera, already ready for the annual we-open-presents-pictures, Parker took a picture of his dad and Bones gazing deeply into each others eyes.

**AN2: It would be nice, if you could leave me a short review, if you have the time. Next chapter should be up wednessday evening.**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I am soooo sorry, that I didn't post a chapter last wednessday. Uni got in the way. But better late, than never, right? I changed some of the things you told me in your reviews, but I couldn't find the 'good-could'-mistake. Maybe someone can point it out to me. Anyway here is the next chapter, finally about opening the presents. Enjoy!**

Brennan had feared the moment Booth would open the present she got him, but now, sitting next to him on the couch her left leg slightly brushing against his right one, she knew that it would be okay. They were Bones and Booth after all and Angela had told her he would love his gift too.

Right now watching Parker sending the gift wrap, once securely taped around his presents, flying all through the living room, she felt like she had no reason the be nervous or afraid, she felt like she belonged right here with them.

_Booth told me that there is more than one kind of family and he was right. This feels so much like family…_

Booth was so happy that he could spend Christmas with his son and his Bones that he couldn't help smiling all the time. And to make it all even better her perfect left thigh, still only covered by her shorts, was pressed against his right leg. Every move she made made his leg tingle pleasantly and he had to suppress the thoughts about how much better it would feel if he wouldn't wear the sweats anymore. He had even donned a shirt after Parker interrupted them earlier, although _he_ hadn't minded being watched by Bones. He actually liked the glances she was giving his chest. After all, it showed him her interest in him. But she had told him to put on some clothes for the present opening and had wandered off with his son.

Now, sitting here he wished he could just scoop her into his arms and carry her back to her bed with him. But he knew, she was far from being ready for that yet and he had once promised himself that he would never try to hurry her. He could and would wait for her to take the next step in their relationship. And he didn't care how long it would take her.

_I can wait. For her, I can do almost everything. She just needs some more time, but we are on the right way._

"Daddy, why are you and Bones not opening your presents? Aren't you interested in what Santa got you?"

"Of course we are bub. Could you hand over my present for Bones please? It's the one with the skeletons on the gift-wrap."

Brennan, somehow feeling shy again, didn't know what to do now. Should she open her present first or give him his present from her now too? She wanted to watch his reaction to the present. Ange had told her he would like it, but she wanted to see it with her own eyes. She had to make sure, that he really liked it.

"There is one for you as well, Booth. Parker could you hand me the plain blue one please?"

Parker handed out the presents to the adults, then took the camera to take some pictures of them opening their presents. But they appeared to be frozen in place, holding on to the presents for dear life.

Finally, Booth made the first step by giving Bones her present with a small smile on his handsome face and a whispered 'Merry Christmas, Temperance' on his lips. When she didn't move a single muscle at first, he knew that she was probably nervous about what he got her or about what she got him, so he encouraged her with a little nod and another smile.

"It's not gonna bite you, Bones. Just open it, okay?"

Carefully removing the skeleton gift-wrap Booth chose especially for her, she pulled the large oval picture frame into the open and gasped at what she saw.

"Booth…"she choked out with tears in her eyes.

"How did you do that? I mean, where did you even get most of the pictures?"

Parker, curious about the present now, came over to her on the couch.

"Why are you crying Bones? It's beautiful."

"I know Park, I am just so happy. I didn't have much pictures of my family and your daddy made me something perfect for Christmas."

20 minutes later, Brennan was still sitting with her present in front of her and telling Parker everything about the different persons in the collage. Of course, he already had seen her dad and the squints, but he didn't know about Russ and her mom. He seemed to be very interested in the stories about her childhood. He also wanted to know everything about how she had to go and live with other people, after her parents disappeared when she was 15. She didn't care to tell him about that part of her live, though she never had liked to talk about it so far. But he was so much like his dad, that she just couldn't say no to the little Booth. She had no idea how much to tell Parker so she just told him the essentials, but Booth didn't seem to care about what she told him. Finally, Parker decided that he now knew enough about her family and the squints and went back to his own presents.

Brennan was still looking at the present that had made her really happy. With the picture of her family when she was 4 or 5 in the middle, surrounded by pictures of them when they got older and other pictures that showed the squints together or alone, it was really beautiful. But the picture her eyes kept going back to, was one of her and Booth gazing into each others eyes.

_We look so happy in this picture. I love this smile of him, it always makes me feel cared for, maybe even loved…_

All of a sudden, she remembered that she still hadn't given Booth his present. Booth could instantaneously see the change in her posture and behavior. She was back to being shy again, and he knew that he would now get his present from her.

He didn't really care what she got him, he already had her here with him and his son and his Christmas couldn't become any better anyway. Nevertheless, as she hold it out to him, he was still eager to get it out of its wrap as soon as possible.

Only seconds later, he was frozen on the spot, or at least he felt like that. She had gotten him two ties, but not just any ties. There was one with skeletons all over it and he immediately knew that he would wear it a lot, but what really made him speechless was the one in black with the big red letters on it.

_Taken. Does that mean what I hope it means. Should I really get my hopes up? Maybe she meant something else when she bought them. Taken…_

"Booth…"

"Do you mean it? Do you want me to be 'taken'?"

"I…I…yes…yes I want that, Booth"

"Then I love my present, Bones. You couldn't have gotten me anything better."

Brennan was still not sure, if he really liked the gift, he could see it in her eyes. Her beautiful blue eyes that always made him forget everything around him. He knew what they both wanted and maybe even needed right now. So he reached out to her and enveloped her in his arms.

"I love my gift, Temperance. I really do. And now come here I want to hug you again."

She came willingly and pressed herself closer to his body.

"We seem to be hugging a lot in the last few days…"

"You want us to stop?"

"No, Booth, I like it. I wish we could do it even more often."

"We can, Bones, we can. And we will…"

**AN: Thanks for reading. I hope you liked it.**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Still not mine. Enjoy!**

Two hours later, they had eaten some sandwiches for lunch and were heading out to play in the snow. After some begging Brennan had relented and now they would have mac'n'cheese for dinner on Christmas Day. Not what a normal Christmas Dinner would look like, but both Booths decided that they really wanted to eat it and she just could never say 'no' to them.

Outside everything was white, because of all the snow. And it was really quiet in the middle of the forest, all they could hear were some birds and every so often they could hear some snow falling down from a tree branch. But there were no cars or airplanes that could disturb the quietness or pollute the air of the place and Brennan enjoyed the fresh air around her. They would have to come back here again in the next years. This place was just too perfect to visit only once.

She hadn't known that playing in the snow could be so much fun. She never really played as a child, because she had her nose stuck in a book half of the time. Watching Parker running around laughing and just enjoying life made her realize how much she'd missed out on in her childhood.

Booth on the other hand seemed to know exactly how to have fun in the snow. He chased after Parker with his hands full of freshly fallen snow. Parker squealed in delight and tried to hide behind her.

The devilish grin on her partner's face told her his thoughts as soon as she saw him. He had found another target, she was sure of it.

Grabbing Parker's hand, she dashed out of the way and dragged the little Booth around the corner of the house and into the woods.

"We have to try and sneak up on him, Park. It's not gonna be easy, your dad's hearing is perfect, but if we go in different directions and surprise him we might have a chance."

"Okay Bones. I'm gonna take this way. Don't go too far into the forest, Bones. You might get lost."

Parker grabbed a handful of snow and ran away with his head ducked a little bit.

_Did Booth's 7-year old just tell me not to get lost?_

Before she could ponder over this thought any longer, she heard Booth's voice calling out to her from her left side.

"You can't hide from me. Bones I can see your red coat, you can't escape me."

But Brennan knew his tricks by now. He just wanted her to answer, so that he could find out her position. Ducking her head similar to what Parker did, just minutes ago, she moved a little farther into the forest to sneak around Booth.

_Parker should be at the backside of the house by now__. I have to move faster._

A few minutes later, Bones finally spotted Booth. He was hiding behind a rather big bush with his head held low and he was obviously waiting for them. But he was not paying enough attention and a moment later, after a small wave to Parker, they both jumped out of their hiding places and started to throw as much snow balls as possible at Booth.

_Do they really believe I haven't known where they where for a long time already? I'm an ex-sniper…how does she think I survived war…but she is so cute right now, playing with Parker and just having fun. I'll just let them believe the__y were able to sneak up on me._

Booth wasn't about to give up without a fight, so he grabbed the already prepared snowballs at his feet and started throwing them in both directions at the same time. His aim was good, but being hit from two directions was something not even Booth could be prepared for. He was already covered in snow after only a few minutes and about to loose this battle.

But he didn't care, as long as they were both happy his ego would survive loosing against 'a girl and a seven-year old'. Not that he planned to tell anybody about this.

The fight went on and on and neither Booth nor Brennan even seemed to think about stopping. Parker had long ago sauntered back to the front of the house to start building a snowman, when the partners were still having a snowball-fight. Deciding that she would try to give him the final shove into a big snowy mess just left of the bush he was originally hiding behind; she jumped out from behind her tree and tackled him to the ground with her.

What should have been just another part of there little game turned into so much more as soon as they landed in the snow on top of each other. Even through all the layers of clothing both of them were wearing, she could feel is strong body connecting with hers as she came to rest right on top of him. For a moment she wanted to just turn away and hide her feelings, like they both did for a very long time, but she couldn't. Instead, she braced herself on his strong shoulders and gazed into his eyes.

Her natural beauty mesmerized Booth once again. She wasn't wearing much make-up and her hair was pretty much messed up, after the fight, but she was looking better than ever to him. Her cheeks were tinged a slight pink and her perfect lips slightly opened while she breathed rapidly in and out. With every breath she took, he could feel her body being pressed into him. Not able to suppress _all_ of his urges any longer, he figured that holding her waist would be okay and raised his hands to put them together at the small of her back.

_My place. This is where my hands belong._

Temperance could feel him move slightly and then his hands were touching her. He was only holding her by the waist and still she could feel heat radiating from where his hands were all over her body. Still looking into his eyes, she tilted her head a little bit and started to close the remaining gap between them, to finally feel his lips again after such a long time.

It seemed as though time was nearly standing still, as she could see all kinds of emotions run over his face in the milliseconds she needed to get as close as she wanted to be. Only half an inch was separating them now and all she had to do was bending her head just a little more and they would share their first real kiss.

"Daddy! Bones! Can you come over and help me lift the head on top of his body?"

And the moment was once again gone…

**AN: You know how it is.....review would be nice. Just tell me what you thought.**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: I am not too happy with this chapter, but I can't do any better. I hope you'll like it. Rating changed to a T just to be on the safe side.**

The rest of Christmas day was spent playing cards and watching the new snow fall slowly. Parker and Booth had taught Brennan some new card-games and they had a very good time just spending time together.

_As a family. We act like we are a family, but they are only my partner and his son. But there is more than one kind of family…_

After both 'Booth-boys' ate enough mac'n'cheese to fill them up for the next week, they insisted that they would clean the kitchen. So she went ahead to sit in the living room, close to the fireplace, where Booth lit a fire after they came back in from playing in the snow.

They had decided during dinner that it was time to try out the huge TV sitting proudly on a shelf next to the Christmas tree. Booth had brought some movies for them to watch and Parker could decide which movie he wanted to watch this evening.

Parker apparently liked strange movies, for they were watching something about a reindeer with a bright red nose now. However, Brennan didn't care in the least about the movie anyway. After all, she was sitting close to Booth and he had his arm slung around her shoulders to keep her in place. Not that she needed any more encouragement to stay exactly where she was.

After the movie, Booth made Parker go to bed and Temperance read him a bedtime story. When she returned to the living room, Booth was sitting on the couch again, but the TV was turned off. Instead, he watched her as she made her way over to him and sat down as close to him as she could get.

Laying her head down on his shoulder, she sneaked her right arm over his stomach and snuggled even closer to him. Booth pulled the throw they had used earlier over both of them and pulled her close with his strong arms. She was content to just lay here for the rest of her life and never get up ever again, but apparently, Booth had something different in mind.

"Bones?"

"Hmmm…?"

"How do you think we are doing so far?"

His voice sounded uncertain and she could sense his nervousness, because his hands were no longer drawing lazy circles on her back.

"I think we're doing great, Booth. You don't have to worry. You know that I'd tell you, if something was bothering me, right? I'm not exactly known to keep my opinion to myself, now am I?"

She had reluctantly pulled her head away from his shoulder and was now looking at him.

"I want this and I promise not to run, Seeley. And even if I did get scared and tried to run away, where would I go? _You_ are the person I turn to when I am afraid of something. I would just be running in circles and that isn't a very logical thing to do…"

"And you love logic…"

"Yes, among other things I love logic."

Before they could start gazing deeply into each other's eyes once again, she laid her head back down on his shoulder and snuggled closer to him.

Booth was stroking her back once again, and Brennan couldn't suppress a little sigh at the feeling of his hands touching her all the time.

_I like it, when he touches me. I could lie here for the rest of my life and never tire of his touch._

Booth, encouraged by her sigh, decided that he could try and take it a little further today. After all, they were more or less dating and hadn't even kissed so far. He brought his left hand up to her head and started combing through her hair, while the right one was still stroking her back. As she only nestled herself even closer to his body, he let his hand slip down to her legs and with little effort he lifted her right on his lap.

"What are you doing, Booth?"

"Getting closer to you and now be quiet and just let me hold you."

Temperance did as she was told and for the next twenty minutes they stayed like that, just enjoying each others company. As the anthropologist felt herself drifting into sleep, she spoke up once again.

"Booth I think we should go to bed now. It's getting late and I'm tired."

Booth was unwilling to let her go just now, but he knew that they couldn't stay like that the whole night.

_I wish I could just sleep next to her tonight._

Temperance seemed to have had the same thought though and as they got up from the couch to head to bed, she decided that she wouldn't deny herself the joy of sleeping next to him anymore.

"Can you make sure that everything is closed and the fire is not gonna kill us tonight, while I'm going to get ready for bed?"

"Sure Bones go ahead, have a good night."

"I'll come back out in a second, Booth. Wait for me."

"Always, Temperance. You know that."

Ten minutes later, Temperance emerged from the bathroom, dressed in her 'hot but not too revealing' pajamas, Angela told her to buy. Booth took a look at her and turned around barely a second later.

"Temperance you can't wear that and expect me to sleep at all, this night."

He was sure that he wouldn't be able to sleep with the picture of his hot partner in the tiny pajama burned into his retina. She was trying to torture him, he was sure of it. And to make it even worse she came around the living room table to stand in front of him, once again.

"Maybe I don't want you to sleep, Seeley. At least not, right away. Are you ready to go to bed?"

"I…what did you say?"

"I asked if you were ready to go to bed now, _Seeley._"

"Sure. Everything is….err done…here. Door's locked too."

He didn't act like the controlled FBI special agent at the moment and she couldn't help but like it. It was nice to see him like that, just because of her. Right now, it looked like he hadn't understood what she was planning for the night and she was okay with that. A little surprise for him then…

"I'll wait here while you're getting ready for bed as well. Hurry I want to go to bed soon."

Booth was confused now. Why would she want to wait for him? She could have just said 'Good Night' and go to her room, if she was tired. Nevertheless, he hurried into the bathroom to get ready. Deciding, that he could try to torture her a little bit too, he emerged a few minutes later with only his boxer shorts covering him.

_Well, maybe now she'll knew what she did to me._

Back in the living room of their temporary home, he wasn't so sure about his decision any more. She was gorgeous and the boxer shorts wouldn't do much to help him cover his arousal.

Temperance was about to fall asleep on the couch, as she saw him enter in nothing more than his boxers.

_Nice. He could walk around like that more often…Now I only have to get him in my bed…_

**AN2: You want to know what will happen next? Leave a review and maybe I'll tell you. (Of course I will tell you anyway, but well I can try, right?)**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Here it is...chapter 10 is done now....originally, I planned for this story to have around 3 or 4 chapters....and now there are already 10 and still no end in sight....I hope you don't mind if I add a few more chapters....anyway on with the story. Still not mine!**

Booth didn't seem to get what she wanted from him. He stood motionless in the living room and stared at her. Brennan was done talking though and grabbed his arm to get him to move.

"Come on Booth move. Don't make me drag you."

"What are you doing? Where are we going Bones?"

"I'm tired. We are going to bed now."

"We?" Booth squeaked.

He wasn't sure how to react now. What did she want them to do? Just going to bed? Sleeping next to each other in the same bed? Cuddling closer than they ever were? Really sleeping together?

His confusion must have shown on his face, for she told him to just do as she told him for now. And he did. He didn't care what she had planned for them, he would just take it as it came.

_But I will not have sex with her tonight. It could be so much more than just sex and she is not ready for that yet. When we take that step, we will be making love._

Brennan hadn't planned to have sex anyway. She just wanted to be close to him and she had no idea why. It never happened to her before. So far, all she wanted was sex and she was more than happy when they decided to go afterwards. Why was it so different now?

_Because it is Booth, _a voice, which sounded a lot like Angela, inside her head answered.

_Maybe she is right and I feel this way because I really am in love with Booth. But is he feeling the same thing? Or is it just me? I can't tell him, if it means to risk loosing what we have now._

During her musing, they had made it to her bedroom and she pulled him with her through the door. Now they were standing at the foot of her bed and a little unsure what to do now. Finally, Brennan pulled the covers back, climbed in and motioned for Booth to follow.

"Are you sure about this, Bones? I don't want you to feel like you have to do anything. And maybe I should go and put a shirt on, after all."

"Just get in here already. I know that you are not putting any pressure on me, I want to sleep next to you."

And a lot quieter she murmured "And I want to feel your skin."

Of course, Booth had heard her anyway, but he decided that he wouldn't embarrass her even more. She already admitted that she wanted to feel his skin once; he wouldn't make her repeat it now.

Sliding under the covers, Temperance was still holding up for him, he made himself comfortable before turning around to face her once again. She was looking up at him with a shy expression on her gorgeous face and he couldn't help his hand reaching out to touch her. He was only human in the end.

Brennan came willingly as he lightly pulled her closer to him under to covers. After one last long look, she laid her head on his naked chest, right atop his heart, and closed her eyes. Booth was enveloping her in his arms and pulling her flush against him from head to toe.

"Bones? Can you look at me, for a moment? I have to tell you something."

Temperance grudgingly pulled her head away from his chest to look into his eyes once again.

But instead of talking, Booth just stared into her eyes for a moment and then pulled her head closer to his own. She could see his chocolate colored orbs getting even darker as their faces got closer and closer.

_He is going to kiss me. I can see it in his eyes. I bet he tastes as good as he smells…_

Seconds after this thought, she could no longer think about anything else than his lips pressing down on hers, the feeling, the smell and hopefully the taste. Except he hadn't done anything so far. He was still looking at her with his dark eyes and she could feel her heart rate accelerate in her chest at the sight before her.

He was a handsome man she had always known that. With his dark looks and the sexy grin, every woman they'd met had given him a second glance. To see him without a shirt was an even better sight, but one that not just everyone should be permitted to see.

_I don't want any other woman seeing him like that…__Where did that came from now?_

Right now, only inches away from her face, she could see the golden dots in his eyes, making him look even more perfect to her.

She had thought about kissing him again for a long time now. Their only kiss had been last Christmas, a whole year ago and she couldn't wait to have the feeling she had had back then, again.

However, he seemed to be waiting for something. And all of a sudden, she knew. He was waiting for her to do the first step. He had made it clear that she would have to make all the decisions about persuading their relationship any further and now was the time to start doing so.

She kept looking into his eyes, as she started to close the remaining gap between them. Nothing could delay her kissing him anymore, even if Parker decided to interrupt once again, she would have to make him wait, because she couldn't wait anymore. She had to feel this connection again. They always shared a solid bond and touching each other's arm or the small of her back in Booth's case, seemed to intensify this bond ten times. She could only imagine what kissing, really kissing without any witnesses, could make her feel like.

She was determined to find out immediately and finally, she pressed her lips on his for the first time. A jolt of joy and happiness flashed through her body, with the feeling of his lips under hers. His lips were soft, a lot softer than she imagined them to be, but also firm. He was not just letting her kiss him either. Once she had made the first move, he had started pressing up against her.

His large hands were tangled in her hair, as he tried to get closer to her still. He wanted to feel her and touch her and at last make her his, but he knew that they should take things slow. But there was nothing wrong with a little touching here and there, right?

He let his hands wander down her back, till they were gripping her by the hips and he could hold her as close as he wanted her to be, which was pretty much the closest someone could imagine. She felt perfect in his arms and he was hoping to spend the rest of the night exactly like this, when he felt her lips opening up to him.

Her tongue was stroking along the edges of his lips for a moment, before he opened his own mouth to her and let their tongues duel for the first time.

_She tastes so good._

_He tastes even better than I imagined._

Their lips stayed locked for another few minutes before they had to separate. They were both breathing shallow and had to catch their breath, but the juvenile smile on both their faces told them all they had to know anyway. They both wanted this and nothing would get them apart now.

Pressing on last lingering kiss on her still slightly parted lips, Booth reached up to the bedside light and plunged them into darkness. There was no need to talk about anything now, they both wouldn't run away and they still had over a week left before they would have to go back to DC. They had enough time to talk about this, right now all they wanted to do was going to sleep next to each other as lovers for the first time.

**AN2: You all know how it works. Push the little button waiting for your attention and leave me a review. Do you think I am going too slow? or too fast? should I make them do more than kissing soon? or at all? I can't wait to hear from you all.**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Sorry for the delay. I hope this will make you all happy. Not mine!**

When Booth woke up the next day, he rolled over to get closer to his Bones once again, but found her side of the bed empty and cold. His first thought was that she might have tried to run away from him, however only seconds later he remembered that she promised not to run. And she never broke a promise. So instead of jumping out of bed and running around the house looking for her, like he first thought he would do, he just got up, went to his own room and pulled some clothes on before he made his way to the living room.

There he found not only her but his son too. They were snuggled close together under the throw again and watching TV.

_I wish I could see them like that more often. They really seem to get along very well._

Brennan, who had seen him enter the living room, smiled at him and motioned for him to come closer. He was about to sit down next to the two most important people in his life, when his stomach started to rumble. So instead of sitting down, he gave the curls of his son a slight ruffle and kissed Bones on the lips, before he started in the direction of the kitchen.

"You guys hungry? I could make some breakfast. What do you want to have this morning?"

Parker was fast to answer with his usual cry for waffles, while Brennan, who never ate breakfast when she was alone, wasn't all that hungry. Of course, she knew that Booth would make her eat something anyway and waffles sounded quite good to her too. She had no idea, if Booth even knew how to make them, but she was willing to try him.

"Waffles sound good Booth. You know how to do them?"

"Of course I know Bones. I am a good cook and I can make some mean waffles. We only have to see if we have a waffle iron here. It won't work without one of those. You can just stay sitting on the couch watching TV for a little longer, while I make breakfast."

With that said, he disappeared into the kitchen and began his search for the iron and the ingredients for the waffles.

Temperance sat back down on the couch, realizing that he wouldn't need any help from her, and started to watch the cartons again. She didn't understand how someone can enjoy watching crazy looking stuffed animals on TV, but Parker seemed to like it. He had tried to tell her something about the different characters at first but they had decided to just enjoy the show for now. If she wanted to know, she could always ask, he had told her. She was sure she would never do that though. She was not interested in cartons at all, although she had to admit that some of the things happening where rather funny and entertaining. And Parker was a nice kid, easy to talk to, very intelligent for his age and most important, he had Booth's dark brown eyes.

She just couldn't say 'no' when they looked at her with these eyes. So as he came into her room, looking for his dad at just a few minutes after 7 in the morning, she let herself being coaxed into coming to the living room to watch something he called 'Spongebob' with him. She had wanted to see the look on Booth's face when he woke up with her next to him, but she knew now, that there would be more possibilities to see that in the future. They wouldn't be able to go back to just being partners now, they were in a relationship now. A serious one even and she liked it. She actually liked the feeling of security she got when she thought about this new aspect in their lives. She would never have to feel alone again, because she knew he wouldn't leave her.

This trust she had in him, made her realize that maybe, what they had was something more than just a committed relationship. They were in love with each other. She loved Seeley Booth. And he loved her too. She was sure about that, he hadn't said it to her so far, but she could see it in his eyes. As soon as she was able to understand the concept of real love a few weeks ago, she had seen it in his eyes. Not as clearly visible as it was now, but it was there all along.

Through all the musing, she hadn't realized that Parker had asked her a question, before he started to wave a hand in front of her face.

"Sorry, Parker. I got distracted thinking about something, what is it?"

"Are you in love with my daddy?"

How should she answer that question? She knew she was and she didn't want to lie to the little boy, but she had no idea, what Booth wanted to tell him about them.

"Parker….I really think you should talk to your daddy first…"

"Are you his girlfriend now Bones? That would be cool. He never had a girlfriend and I like you."

"He never had a girlfriend?"

"Nope. He never had one. Except mommy of course, she was his girlfriend once, but that was a looong time ago."

Brennan wanted to ask more, but Parker was once again concentrating on the strange looking yellow thing, he apparently liked very much.

_He__ never introduced any of his girlfriends to Parker? Not even Tessa or Cam?_

Before she could ponder the implications of that any longer, Booth was calling from the kitchen, telling them the waffles were ready. And sure enough, as they entered the kitchen the table was set for three and steaming waffles were already waiting for them. He'd found the time to slice some fruit to and even found some whipped cream.

"Sit down and start eating, they're best when they are still warm."

And eating they did. Booth's waffles tasted better than anything she ever ate before. Conversation was easy between them as well. Most of the time Parker was talking about everything that came to mind and the few times he was munching quietly on his food Booth was talking about their plans for the day.

Soon breakfast was finished, the plates cleaned and Parker back in the living room watching cartoons again.

"Parker asked me if I am your girlfriend now."

"Hmmm. What did you tell him?" Booth was nuzzling her neck with his nose, with his hands securely wrapped around her waist. The feeling of his body pressed against her back distracted Temperance. She had to take in a seep breath before she could answer him.

"I told him to talk to you. He said…you never…"

"I never what, Temperance?"

"He said you never had a girlfriend after Rebecca."

"That's right Bones"

"But what about Tessa? Or Cam? They were your girlfriends."

"Cam was just an old relationship refreshed. We were both feeling lonely at that time. It was nothing serious."

"And Tessa?"

"I thought that maybe it could evolve into something serious. I cared about her but I never _loved_ her."

He turned her around in his arms so that he could see her face. He needed to see her reaction to hat he had to say to her.

"I decided a long time ago that I would never let Parker meet a woman, I wasn't 100% sure that she would be by my side for a very long time. Tessa was just a fling compared to the real thing."

Booth could see it in her eyes as the realization what exactly he was trying to tell her, finally hit her. Her breathing hitched, her pupils dilated and her mouth fell open in slight shock.

"You don't have to say something Bones. Just listen to what I have to say. I knew that you were a special person soon after our partnership started. I liked you from the beginning. We became partners, then friends and slowly I started to have very un-partner-like feelings towards you. When you started dating Sully, I knew that I was in love with you."

He took hold of her face and turned it so that their eyes locked.

"I love you, Temperance. I have for a long time now. I want to have a serious relationship with you, that's why I never hesitated to not only introduce you to Parker, but to also spend this vacation together. _You_ are the real thing for me."

And then he kissed her with so much love and tenderness that her knees felt like jelly…

**AN2: Review?**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: I want to thank all the people, who not only read, but also leave me a review. It really motivates, if you know that someone likes what you do. I can't mention you all here (and I haven't figured out how to reply so far) but I really love every single comment you wrote and hopefully will continue to write. KelianaLeFey I can assure you that I've watched the epis quite a lot, maybe it still wasn't enough to write a story, though. I'll try to watch them a fourth time. Laukita, I had no idea that there are more than one kind of waffles. I was talking about the sweet ones, with powdery sugar or cherries and whipped cream. I also wanted to mention that I changed some minor things in chapter 10, just some misspellings and grammar mistakes I made.**

_Previously: "I love you, Temperance. I have for a long time now. I want to have a serious relationship with you, that's why I never hesitated to not only introduce you to Parker, but to also spend this vacation together. _You_ are the real thing for me."_

_And then he kissed her with so much love and tenderness that her knees felt like jelly…_

Brenna wasn't sure how to respond to what he just told her. She knew she loved him, but was she ready for a serious relationship as well? Angela had told her to listen to her heart during this vacation at least. Therefore, she ignored her brain and listened to her heart. And her heart was telling her that she loved him, more than anyone else ever before. More than she loved her work as an anthropologist or as an author. Work always came first for her, but now with Booth, and she had to admit that she involved Parker into the equation too, the most important thing was her family. She wanted them to be happy and she wanted to be happy too. Really happy, like she only was till her parents disappeared when she was 15.

Realizing, that she hadn't said anything for at least a whole minute, she took a deep breath and locked eyes with Booth.

"The first time you told me about 'the one' for everyone and love and happiness ever after, all I could think about where hormones in the brain. Love was always something clinical for me, a chemical reaction in the brain, caused by the urge to find a suitable partner to mate. I thought that it was just the genetics telling you to procreate, to spread ones genetic code.

Angela made me realize that it is so much more. That love isn't caused by hormones, but the hormones a caused by love. She made me see the difference and _you_ were one of her examples to make me understand."

Booth was smiling widely, he probably knew where she was heading with this little speech by now, and still looking deeply into her eyes.

"Me? How could she use me?"

"Actually, she used you and Agent Morrison."

She could see his smile faltering a little bit at the mention of Agent Morrison. He was a new Agent, just turned 30 with a military background similar to his own. Everyone had thought that they would get along very well, because they had a lot to talk about. However, after only a week at the Hoover, Morrison had managed to really annoy Booth. At first no one had known what happened, until Morrison, who wasn't one of the most intelligent people at the Hoover, tried to hit on Brennan _again_. Only this time, the anthropologist understood his meaning and flipped him on his back as soon as he reached out to touch her. Even Cullen had laughed about that incident and everyone had known what happened between Booth and the rookie Agent. _No one hit on Booth's partner. Everyone at the FBI knew about that unspoken rule._

Morrison hadn't known about that rule and he learned it the hard way.

"Don't make this face, Booth. You want me to continue with the story?"

"Yes Bones. Of course, I want you to keep talking. Don't stop now."

"Okay. As I was saying, Angela used the two of you to make me realize the difference between hormones causing love and love causing hormones. I always thought that serotonin, oxytocin and dopamine were causing this strange feeling I had every time I saw you. But Angela helped me to understand that I was wrong. You know that Morrison, although he is a total jerk, is physically very appealing and so are you. Or like Ange said, you are both 'hotter than hell' which is a metaphor by the way, it means that you are both very attractive."

"I knew that Bones. Go on with your story." Booth seemed to be very eager to get to know the rest of this story. For a moment, she contemplated to draw out the story for a little longer, as she used to do in her novels, but she didn't want to make him wait any longer than he had to.

"Anyway, Angela told me that you look rather similar, dark hair and dark eyes, broad shoulders, strong arms, and that therefore if my theory was right, I should have the same feelings towards Morrison as I have towards you. But I never had a higher serotonin level when I was looking at Morrison or even talking to him, but as soon as I so much as thought about you, I felt this strange happiness. I never realized the difference until Ange told me.

I have a higher level of serotonin, oxytocin and dopamine because I am in love with you, not the other way round."

She was looking straight into his eyes once again to make sure he understood.

"I love you. And I am sorry it took me so long to find out."

By now, Booth was grinning widely. His eyes had a deeper shade of brown and the sparkle in his eyes was competing with the reflexes of the sun on the snow just outside the window.

"You do?" His voice sounded a tad bit uncertain and she knew that he hadn't thought that she would be feeling the same way as him.

"Yes I do Booth. I love you Seeley Booth. And I want a serious relationship with you as well."

Bones could see his grin widen further still and seconds later, she was caught in a breathtaking kiss with Seeley Booth once again.

_Wow. The man can kiss. I wish we could do nothing else than kissing for the next few hours…_

But like always with a 7-year old, their moment was once again interrupted. Parker was calling from the living room, where he was stilling watching TV, that Booth's phone was ringing. Temperance was about to step away from Booth, as he just shook his head and told Parker to just answer the phone.

He didn't care who was calling him, he was only interested in kissing his girlfriend, the love of his life, the future wife and mother to his children. He knew that it would be a long time, before he would have the guts to ask her about marriage and children, and whether or not she had changed her mind on those topics as well. But he also knew that he wanted it to happen one day. He could live without all that, as long as she was by his side, but he liked the idea of being married to her nonetheless.

They were still kissing passionately as Parker entered the kitchen still talking into the cell phone.

"I don't know what he is doing. Oh….he is kissing Bones. Yep Dr. Brennan. I think she will be daddy's girlfriend soon….hmmm….I'll tell him…"

"Parker! Who are you talking to? Give me the phone. Booth."

She could see as the color left his face in an instant. She was instantaneously worried that something might have happened back in DC. Moments later, she saw a smile spread across his features once again.

"Yes I did. I know that it was about time. I'll tell her. Thank you, Sir. Merry Christmas to you too."

_He is talking to Cullen. Did Cullen just find out about our relationship? We never even talked about whether or not we want every one to know about us yet. What, if he wanted to keep it a secret?_

**AN2: Can I have a review? Please? With naked Booth on top? (Never liked the cherry-thing on top.... :-) )**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: I am really sorry that it took me a little longer to update, I had a huge test on monday and had to study for that. It appears as if the last chapter wasn't really what you wanted to read, I got a few reviews less than on the other chapters. Anyway I hope this one is better and some of you will leve me a review.**

Brennan cursed her inability to read people. Booth had looked startled at first but towards the end of what she heard of the conversation, he was smiling again.

_Why is he smiling now? Maybe it is not Cullen, but who one else would he call 'sir'?_

She must have made a funny face, because Parker was giving her a strange look, and asked her if she was sick. He seemed to worry about others and especially her, a lot, for a seven year old, but of course he was Booth's son and Booth was always worrying too.

_Maybe it is a Booth-family-thing._

"I'm okay Parker, don't worry about me I am fine."

Just as Parker was about to turn around and go back to the living room, she thought about something else to ask him.

"Parker? Can you tell me who is on the phone with your dad?"

"Cullen. That's his boss."

"I know Parker. Thank you for telling me."

She decided not to worry about Cullen right now, instead she ushered Parker out of the kitchen and told him to go and put on his clothes. With Parker occupied for the next minutes, Bones went into the living room to clean out the fireplace. She was about to carry the ashes outside, as she felt two very male and very strong hands cover her own.

"Let me help you with that. You already cleaned everything out."

She now understood that he wasn't trying to prove his alpha-male-status to her, he was just trying to help her and therefore she let him do something for her without a fight.

A few minutes later, both Booths' entered the living room at the same time. Parker was now wearing his clothes and Booth was covered in ashes from head to toe. The moment she saw him, she couldn't stop the smile forming on her lips. He just looked hilarious with the black smudges covering his whole body.

"Now you are laughing at me? That's not nice Bones. Here I was trying to help you…"

"But you look real funny Daddy." Booth glared playfully at his son. Of course he was on Bones' side once again, the boy knew how to charm a woman already.

"Parker is right, Booth. You look hilarious and I think you really need a shower." She knew that she wasn't looking so much better herself, but she had cleaned out the whole fireplace and wasn't as dirty as he was after only taking out the ashes.

"Parker? We'll go and take a shower now. We are both a little dirty. You wanna call your mom while we're gone?"

"Sure Daddy. Can I call Angela too? She told me to call her and tell her about our vacation together."

"Okay Parker, you know how to use my phone. Say hi to your mom and Steve from me, will you?" Parker nodded eagerly.

"Tell Angela I'll call her later today, Parker. I know that she is waiting for my call."

Brennan hadn't called her for a few days now. Of course, she had called to say that they made it to the house safely but after that, she had wanted to spend as much time with Booth and Parker as possible, but she knew she had to call her soon. After all, Angela was the one to make all of this possible in the first place.

But right now she had other things to take care of. She needed a shower too, Booth was right. And if she got him right, he planned for them to take their showers together. The thought alone made her skin tingle pleasantly and her heart beat a little faster. She had seen him naked before and she wasn't shy about her body, but this was something new for her. She knew that there would be touching and kissing involved and maybe even something more.

After they had made sure that Parker was busy with the phone calls and more cartoons, they made their way to their bedrooms to get their things together and met in front of the bathroom door minutes later.

"You sure about this, Bones? I don't want you to do something you don't really…" He was silenced as her lips met his in a soft kiss.

"I am very sure, Seeley. What about you? Nervous all of a sudden? I can assure you, that you have nothing to worry about. I have seen you naked before, remember?" She gave him one last peck on the lips before she turned around to open the bathroom door.

In the meanwhile, Parker had called his mom and her boyfriend Steven and was talking to them. He really liked Steven and the best thing about him was that his dad liked him too. They even went to the park to play football together, once. Steven had never tried to act like his new dad, like some of his mom's former boyfriends had done. He had just told him that he could always come to talk to him if he wanted and that he would like to go play football with him in the park. Parker hadn't been sure how to react at first. He didn't want to disappoint his dad so he asked him if it was okay first. And surprisingly they all got along very well. Steven was nice and he seemed to love Rebecca. And that was the most important thing for the Booth-boys.

After about 10 minutes on the phone with his mom, Parker said bye and started to look tor Angela's number. As soon as she picked the phone up, all he could hear was a very fast talking Angela, trying to get as many questions as possible out of the way before he even said hi to her.

"Angela, can you slow down please? I just wanted to call you as I promised."

And the questions started anew. She wanted to know everything about the trip, the way they had spent their time and the reactions to the Christmas presents. Although Parker knew that she wanted his dad and Bones together, he also knew that she could try too hard. His dad had told him so. He had said that Angela only wanted what was best for everyone, but sometimes she just didn't understand that she might only make it worse with her plans.

He hadn't really understood what that meant back then, but he knew not to tell Angela about the shower, they were apparently taking together. But he told her about the kissing and sharing a bed after some coaxing from Ange.

"Where is Bren? Can I talk to her?"

"She is taking a shower, she said she would call you later though."

"And your Dad? Can I talk to him?"

"No. He is….not here right now….he is outside somewhere….Maybe you can talk to them both, when Bones calls you later. I really have to go now, there is this cartoon on TV now. Bye Angela!"

Angela immediately knew that he hadn't told her the whole truth, but she hadn't wanted to try and get it out of him. She would just ask Brennan when she called her later.

Parker on the other hand thought that he did great with Angela, he hadn't told her about the shower and that was the important thing, right?

All he had to do now was watching another round of cartoons and waiting for Bones and his dad to get out of the shower.

**AN2: Next chapter should be up tomorrow, I am trying to make that work. I really am. Review would be nice. xx**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: As promised here is the enxt chapter. I hope I didn't get too close to needing a M as rating. If anybody has the feeling I should change the rating again, please tell me. This is a little longer than the last chapters, I hope you don't mind. The next one is already in the works right now.**

Booth was sure that he had been out of his mind as he hinted at taking a shower together. Of course, he had thought that she would never understand his suggestion anyway. After all, she wasn't very good with these kinds of things normally. Apparently, she had learned a lot from him in the 4 years of their partnership. On the one hand, he was proud that he had given her the chance to understand everyday conversations, but on the other hand, he wasn't sure if that wasn't firing back at him in situations like this.

She had understood his impromptu offer and there was no way to take it back now. He would get to see her naked and glistening wet body now and he would have to try to hold his arousal in check. He wanted her, had for a long time now, but their first time was supposed to be something very special. Maybe not the 'normal' kind of special with flowers, a nice dinner, and romantic music and cheesy compliments, but special nonetheless. He wanted her to remember their first time for the rest of her life. A fast fuck against the shower wall was definitely not, what he had in mind.

He already knew that there would be a lot of touching involved, he was sure that he wouldn't be able to suppress all of his urges. And she would probably want her share of touching him too. The only thing he could hope for now, was that she would understand his reasoning. She could take things the wrong way and he did not want to give her the impression, that he did not desire her. His body has craved hers for some years now and he had to make sure that she understood that from the beginning.

So here he was standing in the bathroom together with her and trying to form the right words in his mind and his mouth to actually get them out in the open.

"Bones I think we should talk about something first. I want you. I have wanted you for some time now. You are the most gorgeous woman I ever had the pleasure to meet, but…"

"You don't want to perform intercourse with me right now. I know that Booth. I know that you want our first time to be something special, something unforgettable. Don't look so surprised, Booth, I know how you're thinking about these kinds of things by now."

She wasn't lying, she had known the moment he had made the suggestion to shower together, that he wouldn't want to make love to her for the first time in a shower. Her first reaction had been to think about touching, kissing and sex, but as soon as she thought about it for a second, she knew that wasn't happening. And she honestly didn't want it to happen that way either. She had wondered about making love, since he first told her about. The feeling he had described after the horseplay case, was something she never even came close to experiencing herself.

Right now, she would be more than happy with some kissing, ogling and touching. She had seen his body, has touched a lot of his skin already during their time as only partners and friends and she had laid in his arms the last night. Nevertheless, would this be something different all together for them. They were together now and their touching was no longer a friendly guy hug, but the caress of a lover and she planned to discover all the places of his body formerly hidden from her sight and touch.

These thoughts still in mind she started to take off her clothes and gave him an expectant look, as he didn't start stripping right away too.

"Do you need some help, Booth? You know that Parker is able to change his clothes without any help already, right?" She was grinning at him now and so obviously flirting with him that he couldn't answer her for a moment. That's all it took for her to get in front of him and start to push his shirt up his abs with her knuckles touching his skin all the way. She was trying to torture him, he was sure of that. As the shirt was lifted over his abs, he helped her by lifting his arms over his head for her. No sooner was the shirt gone, as she started to work the button of his jeans. Before she could start with the zipper, he grabbed her hands and stopped her.

"My turn now. And don't think I won't return the torture, Temperance." With a last smile in her direction, he started to concentrate on the task at hand, getting her out of the tank top she was still wearing. While he lifted the top from her body, he watched every single inch of skin he revealed to his sight.

Not long after, the shirt was lying on top of his own and he was letting his fingers graze around the edge of her bra. The touch made her shudder slightly and the fact that he could draw a reaction like that form her, gave him a warm feeling all over. He wanted to make her shudder more often, but not from the cold, he had to get them into the shower soon. The bathroom was warm, but not enough so to stand in there naked for a prolonged time. So he pulled her closer and started kissing her passionately.

The rest of their clothing was removed rather fast and soon they were standing naked in front of each other. It was the first time he could freely watch her body, without the fear of being discovered. She was hot, hotter than he imagined even in his dreams. Her skin was creamy and soft and he just could not keep his hands from touching her. He was like a man possessed, obsessed by her beauty and, most important, her soul. With little effort he lifted her into his arms and carried her the short distance to the shower. She was clinging to him and kissing him passionately wherever she could reach.

Once they reached the shower, he turned the water on and adjusted the temperature before stepping under the spray of water with his Bones still safely in his arms. By now, he wasn't far from loosing control, but he wanted to stay in control. He had to get a hold of himself now, or he would break the promise he made to himself and make love to her right here. Setting her down gently, he took a small step back from her to fight down a part of his arousal.

"Just give me a minute Bones." He was trying not to look at her perfect breasts, now slippery from the water, or her perfect legs, which where wrapped around him just seconds ago. Instead he concentrated on her face and her perfect blue-green eyes he loved so much. It really had started with her eyes first. He had known the first moment he'd met her that he could fall in love with this woman, but what really made him fall, and fall hard, were her eyes. If she allowed a person to see her real self, her eyes held so much emotion that he just couldn't do anything else than drown in their depths – like he did now.

Brennan had felt the control slipping away from him slowly and she knew that he would have to take a step back soon. Nevertheless, she felt cool and alone as soon as he did. For a moment she thought about just turning around and run as fast as her legs would carry her, but she had promised him not to run. She would end up back here anyway. The need to be close to him was getting more dominant with every day.

It scared her. It scared her so much, that sometimes she had the feeling that she couldn't breathe anymore. But running was no longer an option for her. Therefore, instead of running, she grabbed the shower gel and started to lather herself up. A look at Booth told her that he was gaining his footing back and she pressed some more gel onto her hand, to then start to cover his broad shoulders with the soapy mess. Letting her eyes connect with his, she silently asked for permission to continue. A small nod was all it took and she started to massage down is pectorals to his abs and around to his back. She took his lack of protest as a sign to keep going and proceeded to let her hands ran farther down to his bottom and, still looking deeply into his eyes, back to the front to cup him lightly in her hand.

**AN2: I really hope this wasn't too bad....I never wrote anything even remotely smutty before and therefore I am a little unsure about this chapter. But once I'd started I couldn't really stop anymore either....review would be nice xx**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Sorry that there was no update for such a long time, but due to the technical glitch ff-net had, I was not able to log in and post.**

**I am really unsure of this chapter, somehow it's not really how I wanted it to be. I hope you'll tell me what you thought about it.**

Reluctantly breaking the eye contact, she leant down to get his legs too. She was running her hands along his strong thighs now and could feel his muscles twist under her touch. She was mesmerized by his reaction to her. Never had a man reacted like that, when she touched him. Reaching his feet, she beckoned for him to lift his foot of off the ground for her and started a gentle massage there to soothe his feet. He was still having trouble with his feet, she could tell from the way he walked some days. It appeared as if he could 'feel' the weather in them, especially cold and rainy seemed to cause him some problems. He never said anything, but she was a forensic anthropologist after all.

Changing to the other foot, she looked up at him through her lashes and started to talk.

"Does it hurt, if I do this?" He was shaking his head 'no' and so she continued massaging the soles of his feet for a few seconds, before she rose to be eye to eye with him once more.

Immediately, he started to return the favor, letting his hands wander over her body slowly and lovingly. The feel of her soft skin was nearly too much once again, but he was determined to touch and memorize every curve of her body and he wouldn't let himself get distracted from that. Passionately kissing her, he let his hands stroke the sensitive skin of her breasts once again. Felling her quiver slightly under his touch, his hands moved around to her back to press her close to his own body. Her back felt like expensive silk, so smooth and perfect.

He wanted to cherish every inch of her, but he knew that they wouldn't have hot water forever. Therefore, he let his hands slip lower until they rested on her perfect bottom. He was kneading her flesh and making her moan into his mouth in seconds.

She could feel his hand inch closer and closer to her sex and she knew that she had to stop him now, or they would spend their first time in this shower. Taking his hands into her own, she pulled him away from her body and gazed deeply into his eyes.

"If we go any further, we won't be able to stop and you know that. And Parker will wonder where we are too."

For a moment, he looked as if he didn't want to stop anymore, but then he realized that she was right. With a last lingering kiss, he took a step back and began to wash the rest of the soap off their bodies.

"We will continue this soon, Bones. I promise that. To you and to me. And now go out and put some clothes on while I take a cold shower."

As soon as Temperance was out of the shower and the door safely closed once again, Booth took in a deep breath and changed the water temperature to freezing cold. Standing under the icy spray of water, he tried to think about other things than his hot and sexy partner turned girlfriend standing probably still naked right in front of the shower. But it wasn't working, his thoughts circled around her, her body and how much he wanted her right now. How would he ever be able to get out of this shower again?

_She is just too hot. This is so not working with her still in the same room and the smell of her shampoo still lingering in the air._

"Booth what are you doing in there so long? Didn't you say something about a cold shower?"

She really had no idea, what was taking him so long. Men tended to take cold showers to get rid of this particular problem rather fast and he was in there for a few minutes and apparently still as aroused as before.

_Well I'd say he has very good stamina then. If not even a cold shower is helping…_

"Bones talking is so not helping right now. Maybe you should just leave the bathroom; I don't think it is a good idea for you to stand just outside the shower."

"Why don't you just take care of it in another way? You must be freezing by now and it appears as if it is not helping your 'little' problem."

"Hey there is nothing 'little' about this problem, okay? And I won't do that and definitely not with you in the room."

"If you want me to, I could always help you out, you know? You never said that I wasn't allowed to help you solve a problem, right?"

Before she could go any further with this idea, she could hear Booth growl at her from the other side of the shower-door.

"Go out now! I'll freeze to death if you stay any longer, please."

She had known that he wouldn't want to let her help him out as she started the conversation, but it was always fun to watch him getting all worked up over some sex-talk.

Ten minutes later, she was sitting on her bed and finally talking to Angela. Of course, Angela had like always started with about 200 questions about everything and nothing, most of them centered around Booth and their relationship of course. So now, five minutes into the conversation with her best friend, Brennan decided to interrupt her.

She really needed to talk to Angela, without her advice she would be lost and right now was a time she really could need some tips. She had never had a real relationship before, not even Sully came close to what she had with Booth now. And she really wanted to do the right things, say the right things and just make him happy.

Finally, Ange had to breathe and Temperance used this chance to start talking herself.

"Could you please just listen to me for a while, Ange? I need your help with something…or rather your advice. Okay?"

"Sure, Bren, is something wrong? You and Booth are okay, aren't you? Nothing…"

"Angela! We are all okay and I know that that is not what you were talking about, but I promise to tell you everything, if you'd just let me start now."

As she wasn't interrupted from Angela, she decided to just start telling her everything. The drive, the room with the adjoining door and the snowball fight were easy to talk about. However, as she came to the end of the snowball fight and their almost kiss, it was no longer easy to tell her friend everything. Angela was her best friend, and still she felt like some things should stay private, like the first kiss with Booth, but she also knew that Angela would need all the facts to help her figure it all out.

Reluctantly, she told the artist about the more intimate parts of their trip. The kiss and the night they had slept in each other's arms, made Angela ask all kind of questions about her feelings and intentions and more importantly it made Temperance realize that she was really and undeniably in love with Seeley Booth, her partner and one of her best friends.

"Ange, I really love him."

"Of course you do, didn't you know that already?"

"I…I hadn't realized how much…now I get it…and it's not just Booth, who I want in my life, I want Parker to be a part of my life too. I…"

"Bren. Listen to me. You want them both in your life? Then go for it, tell him what you feel, tell him you love him and tell him that you want a real relationship with him. He loves you and we both know that he wants all of that too."

"I know, I'll tell him. Maybe not tonight, but I'll tell him that I love him."

Brennan had totally forgot about the reason why she needed her help, until Angela asked her about it again. She wasn't sure if it was still important, with her final admission of her true feelings for Booth, something as unimportant as sex, was no longer on the forefront of her mind.

"It's not that important after all. I thought it was, but I realized that it isn't. It's just that Booth and I didn't have sex so far, he wants to show me how it is to make love and I really like the idea, but I also want him so much. I don't know what to do anymore."

"Bren, I don't think I can help you with that, this is something you have to talk to Booth about. I am sure he wants you as much as you want him and given the time you both spend in the shower today, I thought that you already had sex in there anyway."

"How do you…? I never told you....Oh my god, Parker knows that too? Booth will never be able to shower with me ever again."

"It's okay Booth never has to know about that, if Parker doesn't tell him. You know that I want to know all the juicy details as soon as you come back, sweetie, right?" Angela really was a great help sometimes, but her hunger for every little detail about her love life was sometimes a little strange. And it had only gotten worse, since Angela had decided that Booth would be the right guy for her. Apparently, Booth's body was even more interesting than any other man's body. Before she could answer her, Angela started to talk again.

"Now about this problem of yours. Talk to Booth and you can decide together how long exactly you want to wait to make love. Nothing's changed you can still talk to him like always."

"I don't think, there is much to talk about anymore, I already know what I want and that is that we'll make love for the first time tonight…"

**AN2:Review?**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Sorry sorry sorry! I know that I needed lot's of time to get this chapter up and I am truly sorry about that. Somehow something always got in the way of writing or I wasn't inspired enough...Anyway, here it is.....finally.....chapter 16! I hope you'll like it.**

For Dr. Temperance Brennan the morning of New Years Eve started in the exact same way as the previous 4 days did. Tightly wrapped in the arms of her partner, she felt warm and safe, as if nothing could happen to her ever again. With her head resting on his shoulder and her cheek pressed against his chest, she could make out his steady heartbeat and even breathing. Her left arm was slung over his well-sculpted chest with her hand right on top of his impressive pectoral. His right arm was wrapped around her waist, securing her against him as if he was trying to protect her even in sleep.

Sighing contently, she snuggled closer once again to get a few minutes more alone with him before Parker would want them to get up pretty soon. She really liked spending time with Parker, he was a bright kid and a lot like his father, but right now, she wished he would just let them cuddle for a little longer.

The thought hadn't had time to fully make it through her head, as she heard the soft footsteps of the 7-year old right outside the door. She knew, that he wouldn't open the door without knocking first and spoke softly to try to avoid waking up Booth.

"Parker? Come on in."

As Parker entered the bedroom and climbed up on the bed next to Bones, Booth was slowly waking up. They had both tried to be very quiet, but he was an ex-sniper trained to rise at the slightest unusual noise. Still he didn't want them to know that he was awake, he never got the chance to see them interact during this week they spent together and now was his chance to remedy that.

Keeping is eyes closed and his breathing even, he listened as they talked in low voices for a few seconds and finally they laid down next to him again. Carefully he opened one eye to glance at them curled up next to each other, with Bones' arms around Parker.

_They look so good together like that. What did I do in my life to deserve them? With all the things I did wrong, all the people I had to kill, how could I deserve these two perfect people?_

Deciding that he had pretended to be asleep long enough, he turned on his side and pulled them both closer to his body and whispered into Brennan's ear.

"Good Morning Beautiful"

He could see her skin developing a slight red tinge once again. Every time he told her how beautiful she is, she blushed. This fact alone made him fall in love with her over and over again. She was breathtakingly gorgeous and had no idea about it.

Leaning over her, he kissed Parker on the forehead and ruffled his hair affectionately, before he snuggled even closer to Temperance to let her feel every single inch of his body. He nuzzled his nose into her hair and spread small open-mouthed kisses on her neck. She had to suppress the moan that threatened to leave her mouth as the sexy assault left her breathless and aroused.

Despite her plan to finally have sex with him 4 nights ago, nothing had happened so far. He had told her again, that their first time would be something special and that he had already planned everything. All she had to do was to be a little more patient. She really wanted to be patient and the anticipation was nice as well, but his touches and caresses hadn't made it any easier for her. And the fact that just now, she could feel his obvious arousal pressed against her bottom made her feel even more desperate to finally make love with him.

But she knew somehow that he would made it up to her, she never doubted his competence in this area and their shower a few days ago was a nice foretaste of what was to come as well.

Right now though, it felt as if only the presence of Parker right next to them, was keeping him from crossing this last line between them.

While Brennan had a lot of trouble to keep her breathing under control and not to let a moan slip past her lips, Booth had absolutely no problems to chat with Parker about what they wanted to do on their last day in the forest. Bones hadn't heard a single word they said and could only nod her head as Parker was asking her, if that was okay with her as well. Wondering what exactly she had said 'yes' to, she got out of bed as Parker tugged at her hand and they wandered of towards the kitchen to start preparing breakfast.

_That's probably for the best, I don't think that Booth wants to explain some male bodily functions today. Although I wouldn't say 'no' if he were to explain them to me._

Finally realizing that Parker was talking to her, she concentrated on the younger Booth for the time being and together they started with the breakfast-preparations.

The last day of the vacation was spent mostly outside the house, playing in the snow. They built another snowman, had a great snowball-fight and some kissing for good measure. Now that Parker knew about their feelings, it was easier to just let everything happen naturally for Brennan. She hadn't realized how much she feared, that Booth's son would maybe not like her, until she felt the relief at his approval.

The reaction of Cullen and the squints was important too, but nothing had made her as nervous as Parker's opinion. Miraculously everyone seemed to approve of their relationship and even Cullen was, as Booth had told her, happy for them. They all had been waiting for them to realize that they were a lot more than 'just partners' and they all helped making this vacation together possible.

Of course, Angela had been the leading one in this big conspiracy and therefore Temperance would take a whole day off next week to go to the shopping mall with her best friend. Angela had wanted to have a 'girls-day' for quite some time now and now she would finally get it. She had already talked to Cam about the date and made sure that they could spend a few hours at the spa that Angela had talked about so many times.

Their trip back to DC was planned and most of their things were already back in their suitcases, as Brennan started preparing their dinner. Once again, the 'boys' had decided that Mac'n'Cheese would be the perfect meal for such a special day as New Years Eve. And she had told them she would make it this morning in bed, she now knew that Booth had tricked her by pressing his body into hers. He just wanted her to agree to their dinner plans and she had in fact agreed to cook it for them again. She couldn't say 'no' to them anyway, but that was something she wouldn't admit anytime soon.

Dinner was, like most things she did with those two, a very pleasurable thing. Brennan and Booth laughed a lot, and told stories about what they did in school to Parker and listened to his stories about what he was doing right now. Parker had already made plans for what they could do on the next weekends he got to spend with his dad. And somehow, all this weekend activities included Brennan and sometimes even Angela. All this plans made Booth a little nervous. Maybe it was too fast for his Bones or she didn't want to spend so much time with them away from work, but she looked happy and content and he would just make sure that they would spend as much time as possible together.

After dinner and a movie, they sat curled up together on the couch once again. Parker was anxiously waiting for the New Year to start and couldn't sit still anymore. But his eyes told another story all together, even Brennan could see how tired he was and that he was just merely holding his eyes open for another few minutes.

Finally it was only a few minutes till midnight and Booth got up to get them each a glass of the fruit punch Temperance had prepared for them this afternoon. Booth had wanted to drink champagne or something like that, but Bones had insisted on something they all could have together. They made their own little countdown and the first second of the New Year, Booth's lips were tightly pressed to hers in a passionate and loving kiss.

**AN2: I think there will only be one or two more chapters to come now. I am not sure yet how many though. You never know with me. I planned to let them have sex in the last chap, but I was asked to not make it too steamy, so maybe I'll wrap this up in the next chapter and write the 'last chapter' as an M-rated sequel. Tell me what you think about that.**


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: Okay here we are the last chapter/epilogue is ready. I know that it took me a very long time to update, but I had some trouble with the M-rated parts in between. THIS IS CHAPTER 19! YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ 17 AND 18 TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON. IF YOU WANT TO READ THEM THEY ARE CALLED "THE VERY FIRST TIME". I hope you'll enjoy the last part of this story!**

Waking up for the first time in the New Year, Temperance Brennan felt as happy as never before in her life. With her eyes still closed, she could only guess what time it was, but she didn't really care anyway. She was comfortable where she was and in no hurry whatsoever to move.

Losing the fight against consciousness, she slowly opened her eyes to see the room only dimly lit. The only light in the room came trough the heavy curtains in front of the window. The strange pattern was a nice sight, especially on the chest of the man next to her.

Figuring out that the amount of light coming in through the curtains meant that it had to be close to 10am, she immediately started to worry about Parker. The little Booth was better than any alarm clock she ever owned in her life. He would knock on the door exactly at 7:30am each and every morning and he hadn't shown up yet.

Before she could fully rise, Booth's arm was tugging her back to him.

"It's okay. I told him to get himself some cereal and watch TV till we get up. I wanted to wake up with you still in my arms _and_ without Parker here to interrupt my Good-Morning-Kiss."

Reassured, she let herself be pulled closer for a thorough examination of her mouth with his oh-so-talented tongue.

She remembered the things he had done to her with this tongue and his lips and hands last night and was aroused again in a matter of seconds. She was still fascinated by the way; she had reacted to his every touch. Never before had she felt anything like last night.

They hadn't had sex – they had made love. And Booth hadn't just touched her body, but, more importantly, her heart and soul and mind and whatever else there was in her too.

His touch had been 'soft and loving' and 'rough and demanding' and everything in between. It had been a night she would remember for a long time to come. However, there had been one moment even more intense then the rest of the night. When she came apart in his arms, she had looked up at him and she had seen the love in his eyes. She had seen the happiness in his eyes in this moment and there had been _nothing_ else there. No sorrows, no murder, no cases and no memories of wars or torture or the men he had to kill in his life.

That was something she planned to see again – the sooner the better – but right now they had to get out of bed, if they ever wanted to make it back to DC today. She knew that she would miss being able to wake up next to him every morning, but they would deal with that once they were back.

Reluctantly, she moved out of his arms and started to dress and get ready for the day. She could feel his eyes following her around the room, as she started to pack the last of her clothes into her suitcase.

"Don't you think you should get out of bed now Booth?"

"I can't Bones. I have to enjoy the sight for another moment. Of course, it was even nicer before you put on all this clothes." He gave her one of his charm smiles and wiggled his brows suggestively.

"I'd say you got your fair share of ogling last night. You are insatiable, aren't you?"

Booth could only nod, as he was too consumed by thoughts of last night. He had never felt like that. He had once told her about making love, but he realized that back then, he really hadn't known what he was talking about either. Nothing had prepared him for the feelings running through him as he was finally making love to the love of his life and he just knew that nothing would ever be the same again. He wanted everything and he had to tell her.

"I want forever, Temperance. I know that you don't believe in marriage and that you don't plan to have any children. I can live with that. As long as I have you by my side, I'm happy. Just promise me to stay with me. I love you Temperance."

Brennan had known that they would have to have this conversation, but she had hoped for a little more time. But Booth needed to know that she was serious about them and she wouldn't let him wait. She knew the answer anyway.

"I love you too, Seeley. I can't promise you forever, no one can, but I can promise that I'll try as hard as I can."

"That's all I'm asking for…"

"I'm not finished yet. You are right, I never believed in marriage and I'm sure that I never will, but I can see that it is important to you and Angela told me that a relationship is about compromises. If you still want to be with me in a year or two and you want us to get married; I won't say no to you."

"You won't?" He looked awestruck.

"No. As for the children…I really love Parker…and the thought of a little person part you and part me sounds nice…"

"But?"

"I'm not sure that I'll ever be ready for this step. Are you sure that you can live with that?"

"I already have Parker, I don't need anymore children. I'm happy as it is. Next year I'll be a happily married man and…"

"Next year? You plan to ask this fast? How can you…"

"I know that I want to spend my life with you and we're getting married."

"But…"

"No but's, Bones. You already agreed. What month would you prefer? Church or not? Will you wear a white dress?...."

_What have I gotten myself into here?_

But he was the love of her life, the one, and she couldn't be happier.

**AN2: Maybe a last good-bye review for me? I really liked writing this story and I hope you had as much fun reading it, as I had writing it. Sorry again for every misspelling or strange grammar that happend in the course of this story. AND THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE NICE REVIEWS!**


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